Most people out of Silicon Valley didn’t learn the name Sarah Wynn-Williams until recently. But she recently published a book that sent shockwaves through the tech community.
Before Facebook became known as Meta Platforms, (META) Wynn-Williams served as the social media company’s Director of Global Public Policy, a position she assumed in 2011. During her seven years there, she witnessed many things that she chronicled in her book Careless People, published in March 2025.
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Wynn-Williams’ book provides an in-depth look into the growth and development of Meta and its leaders, specifically how success changed them. As an observer who witnessed many disturbing things firsthand, the author did not hold back in recounting.
On Wednesday, April 10, she appeared before the United States Senate and testified about some aspects of Facebook’s operations. The implications of what she revealed went far beyond social media.
Wynn-Williams’ didn’t hold back in her accusations against Meta
In April 2018, Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared before the U.S. Senate’s Committees on the Judiciary and Commerce, Science and Transportation and testified to allegations of data privacy abuse on Facebook.
His statements garnered little sympathy among the many people who felt unsafe using Facebook after an investigation revealed that consulting firm Cambridge Analytica had collected and misused millions of users’ Facebook data. That type of behavior may be part of why many people don’t seem surprised by what Wynn-Williams revealed in her book.
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In her opening statements before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, Wynn-Williams said a statement that captured the attention of everyone in the room: “I saw Meta executives repeatedly undermine U.S. national security and betray American values.”
She went on to state that Meta’s employees had done these things in an attempt to curry favor with China’s government and ultimately create a business worth $18 billion. According to her, the company worked with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to “construct and test custom-built censorship tools” used against their critics.
“When Beijing demanded that Facebook delete the account of a prominent Chinese dissident living on American soil, they did it and then lied to Congress,” she stated. “I watched as executives decided to provide the Chinese Communist Party with access to Meta user data, including that of Americans. Meta does not dispute these facts.”
Wynn-Williams added that Meta’s executives provided the CCP with access to “intercept the personal data and private messages of American citizens,” claiming that it started briefing the party in 2015 on areas such as artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies.
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According to her, Meta did this with the goal of helping Chinese companies outcompete firms in the U.S. At a time when the U.S. government is highly focused on helping the country maintain its technology dominance; this information is particularly timely.
What does this testimony mean for Meta?
According to reports, Meta has denied the accusations that it ever engaged in practices that could undermine U.S. competitiveness or national security through its work with the CCP.
However, Wynn-Williams gave sworn testimony to these accusations in front of the U.S. Senate. If what she said is revealed to indeed be true, the company could face significant repercussions.
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Dr. Kai Wawrzinek, founder and CEO of Impossible Cloud Network, shared context with TheStreet about how he believes these statements could impact Meta.
“The implications for Meta are potentially quite serious,” he states. “The US government has never been a big fan of the firm or its founder Mark Zuckerberg and if it decides that this alleged involvement with China is an excuse to come down harder, it could have wide implications for the company that could disrupt the tech industry quite significantly.”
He notes that Meta has admitted to working with China, speculating that Wynn-Williams may or may not be taken further and that at present, it remains unclear how they will be handled.
However, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance have made it clear that they want to prioritize U.S. competitiveness on a global scale. It doesn’t seem likely that allegations that Meta tried to undermine them in the name of helping China will be glossed over.
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