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Meta Whistleblower Faces Off With Lawmakers, Questions Zuckerberg’s Leadership

In a notable appearance on Capitol Hill, whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams received a supportive response from members of the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on crime and counterterrorism. Wynn-Williams, the author of Careless People, accused Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg of being a chameleon, adapting his image to secure power.

The subcommittee’s members were openly receptive to her claims. Despite Zuckerberg’s recent efforts to align himself more closely with conservative perspectives, as he lobbies against a government antitrust case, his reputation in Washington remains largely unchanged. Reports indicate that he has even sought to engage with former President Donald Trump in this regard.

During the hearing, subcommittee Chair Josh Hawley (R-MO) remarked on Zuckerberg’s recent shift to advocating for free speech, questioning the authenticity of this transformation. “He’s recently tried a reinvention in which he is now a great advocate of free speech, after being an advocate of censorship in China and in this country for years,” he stated. Hawley cited long-standing conservative critiques that accuse Meta of suppressing certain narratives, such as skepticism regarding vaccines and the Hunter Biden laptop controversy. He challenged Wynn-Williams, asking, “Do you buy this latest reinvention of Mark Zuckerberg?”

Wynn-Williams turned the question back on Zuckerberg, asking, “If he is such a fan of freedom of speech, why is he trying to silence me?” She noted that Meta had successfully convinced an arbitrator to order her to cease making disparaging remarks and to prevent further promotion of her book, which details alleged collaborations between Meta and the Chinese government, alongside claims of misconduct by a high-ranking executive. While Meta’s Andy Stone has labeled Careless People as “defamatory,” the publisher has asserted its commitment to supporting the book.

“We don’t know what the next costume’s going to be, but it will be something different,” remarked Wynn-Williams, emphasizing the CEO’s perceived opportunism. She described Zuckerberg as someone who adapts his approach in order to retain influence. “When I was there, he wanted the president of China to name his first child, he was learning Mandarin, he was censoring to his heart’s content. Now his new costume is MMA fighting or free speech,” she stated.

In her testimony covering her tenure at Meta from 2011 to 2017, Wynn-Williams accused the company of jeopardizing American national security to work favorably with Chinese authorities. She claimed that Meta developed “censorship tools” that the Chinese government could utilize to silence dissenting voices and had shared American user data with the Communist Party.

In response, Meta spokesperson Ryan Daniels dismissed Wynn-Williams’ allegations, describing them as “divorced from reality and riddled with false claims.” He acknowledged previous discussions about Meta’s services in China but emphasized that the company does not currently operate there.

Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) echoed the irony of focusing on China during the hearing, remarking on how prior discussions surrounding tech antitrust legislations had raised concerns about potential harm to U.S. interests. “Your book actually reveals the extent to which Facebook was willing to put growth over the US national interest to gain favor with the Chinese Communist Party,” she said.

Lawmakers challenged Zuckerberg to appear before the committee to address Wynn-Williams’ statements directly. Hawley implored him to stop his attempts to silence her, urging, “Come to this committee, take the oath, sit there, let us question you, and give the American people the truth. We will be waiting for you.”

Wynn-Williams expressed concern that her testimony may be her last opportunity to speak due to legal restrictions. In response, Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) reassured her, stating, “It’s not going to be the last time you’re allowed to speak if we have anything to do with it.” He further urged Zuckerberg to allow Wynn-Williams to share her perspective openly and to present his own version of events if he wished. “Stop gagging Ms. Wynn-Williams, let her speak the truth,” he said, challenging Zuckerberg’s commitment to transparency.

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