1 week Ago By Joe Gallop
A former Meta executive has made bold claims that the social media giant actively assisted China in developing advanced AI, aiming to help Beijing surpass U.S. competitors in the technology race.
Sarah Wynn-Williams, who worked as Meta’s Director of Global Public Policy from 2011 to 2017, testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on April 9, accusing the company of undermining U.
S. national security. Wynn-Williams outlined how Meta executives, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg, allegedly engaged in covert briefings with the Chinese government as early as 2015, under a program dubbed “Project Aldrin.
” The goal, according to Wynn-Williams, was to foster closer ties with Beijing and facilitate China’s AI development, which she claims has contributed to Chinese advances, including the DeepSeek AI model, which recently sparked a tech selloff. Sarah Wynn-Williams Meta denied the allegations, with spokesperson Andy Stone asserting that Wynn-Williams’ claims were “divorced from reality,” and reiterating that Meta does not operate in China today. However, Wynn-Williams insists that these briefings were a part of Meta’s effort to secure market access in China, a business worth US$18 billion (A$30 billion) at its peak.
In her testimony, Wynn-Williams also highlighted the controversial removal of a Facebook account belonging to Chinese dissident Guo Wengui, allegedly under pressure from Beijing. She argued that Zuckerberg’s actions, which included public efforts to win favor with the Chinese leadership, exposed Meta’s complicity in compromising U.S.
values for corporate gain. The former executive’s memoir, Careless People , which details these accusations, has garnered significant attention, climbing to the top of Amazon’s best-seller list. Despite Meta’s legal efforts to silence her, Wynn-Williams continues to insist the company misled the public and Congress about its dealings with China.
This bombshell testimony has triggered calls for further investigation, with Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley criticising Meta for allegedly targeting Wynn-Williams to stifle her claims. As Meta faces potential antitrust violations, this latest story adds a new layer of scrutiny to the company’s international operations..
