By Alan Lu
Meta compromised U.S. national security and freedom of speech to do business with China, a company whistleblower testified before U.S. senators.
Sarah Wynn-Williams, a former global policy director at Facebook, told the U.S. Senate on Wednesday that Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg personally designed and implemented a content review tool for Facebook that was used in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
The tool, according to her, would automatically submit a Facebook post for review by a “chief editor” whenever it received over 10,000 views.
“One thing the Chinese Communist Party and Mark Zuckerberg share is that they want to silence their critics. I can say that from personal experience,” Wynn-Williams said at the congressional hearing.
This tool was operational in both self-ruling Taiwan and China-controlled Hong Kong, where the Chinese Communist Party has been expanding its united front efforts.
China’s united front work combines influence, interference, and intelligence efforts to shape its political landscape. The country’s United Front Work Department is involved in activities ranging from controlling the Chinese diaspora and silencing dissent to gathering intelligence, promoting investment, and enabling technology transfer.
Meta has disputed the claims by Wynn-Williams. Spokesperson Andy Stone told the AFP news agency that Wynn-Williams’ claims were “detached from reality and full of false allegations.”
“We [Meta] currently do not offer any services in China,” he said.
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