Mark Zuckerberg allegedly offered US data to China in bid to enter market, ex-Meta exec tells Senate

• Sarah Wynn-Williams, former Director of Public Policy at Facebook, spoke in front of the US Senate
• She said Facebook offered data on US citizens to the Chinese Communist Party in exchange for being allowed to operate in the country
• Facebook has denied all claims

A former Meta executive recently spoke in front of the US Congress, accusing Facebook and its CEO of allegedly offering sensitive data on American citizens to the Chinese government, in exchange for being allowed to operate in the country.

Sarah Wynn-Williams, former Director of Public Policy at Facebook, spoke in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism.

During the hearing, she alleged that for her former employer, there was “no bridge too far” to get into the Chinese market, and that it would do anything to get access to 1.4 billion people living there, including offering data on Americans to the Chinese Communist Party.

Monitor your credit score with TransUnion starting at $29.95/month

TransUnion is a credit monitoring service that helps you stay on top of your financial health. With real-time alerts, credit score tracking, and identity theft protection, it ensures you never miss important changes. You'll benefit from a customizable online interface with clear insights into your credit profile. Businesses also benefit from TransUnion’s advanced risk assessment tools.

Preferred partner (What does this mean?)

View Deal

AI and censorship

“The only reason China does not currently have access to US user data through this pipeline is because Congress stepped in,” she was cited saying.

The company slammed her testimony, calling it “divorced from reality and riddled with false claims,” according to a Meta spokesperson.

“While Mark Zuckerberg himself was public about our interest in offering our services in China and details were widely reported beginning over a decade ago, the fact is this: We do not operate our services in China today,” the spokesperson added.

Wynn-Williams did not stop there, either. She also alleged that Meta contributed to China’s advancements in artificial intelligence, since its Llama AI models were “openly available” in the country.

There were even mentions of military applications of AI. Finally, she also alleged that Meta collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party in developing censorship tools, and then lied about it in the public.

Some senators commended Wynn-Williams’ testimony, and the fact that the filed whistleblower complaints with the SEC and the US Department of Justice after leaving the social media business.

They commented that Facebook was afraid of the truth coming out and that they would stop at nothing to prevent Wynn-Williams from testifying.

Via The Register

You might also like

• Facebook's Onavo VPN used to wiretap competitor data, court filings reveal
• Take a look at our guide to the best authenticator app
• We've rounded up the best password managers