Meta betrayed US, worked 'hand in glove' with China: Whistleblower

New Delhi: Social media giant Meta and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg have been accused of closely collaborating with China and betraying core American values, according to whistleblower and former Meta executive Sarah Wynn-Williams.

In a testimony before a US congressional hearing chaired by Senator Josh Hawley of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, Wynn-Williams alleged that Meta compromised American national security in its efforts to build a significant business presence in China.

She claimed that Meta executives permitted the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) to access user data, including that of American citizens, and worked in close coordination with Beijing to develop censorship tools aimed at silencing critics of the Chinese regime.

"I saw Meta executives repeatedly undermine US national security and betray American values," she stated, as quoted by CBS News. According to her, Meta created custom censorship systems specifically designed for use by the Chinese government, allowing it to exert broad control over online content.

Wynn-Williams also accused Zuckerberg of misleading the public about the company’s involvement in China. “The greatest trick Mark Zuckerberg ever pulled was wrapping the American flag around himself and calling himself a patriot, and saying he didn't offer services in China, while he spent the last decade building an $18 billion business there,” she said.

In addition, the whistleblower alleged that Meta’s artificial intelligence model, Llama, was utilized by Chinese AI company DeepSeek, raising further concerns about technology transfers and national security.

Meta has rejected the allegations, calling Wynn-Williams’ testimony “divorced from reality and riddled with false claims.” Company spokesperson Ryan Daniels reiterated that while Zuckerberg has expressed interest in operating in China, “the fact is this: we do not operate our services in China today.”

Wynn-Williams further claimed that Meta threatened her with $50,000 in punitive damages for speaking out. The company responded by clarifying that the amount pertains to each material breach of her separation agreement, and not for her appearance before Congress.

With IANS inputs