- Former Meta global policy director Sarah Wynn-Williams filed a 78-page complaint with the SEC, alleging that Meta developed a censorship system for China in 2015 and was willing to share user data with the CCP, compromise privacy and censor content to enter the Chinese market.
- Codenamed «Project Aldrin,» Meta’s plan involved creating a version of Facebook compliant with China’s censorship laws. This included automatic detection of restricted terms, hiring 300 content moderators, and potentially allowing a Chinese firm to review user content for compliance.
- Zuckerberg personally courted Chinese officials, writing a blurb for Xi Jinping’s book and displaying a copy on his desk. He even suggested naming his unborn daughter after Xi, highlighting his eagerness to gain favor with the CCP.
- Despite public criticism of China’s censorship and surveillance, Meta was secretly developing tools to enable these practices. The company allegedly provided misleading information to investors and regulators, raising concerns about transparency and accountability.
- The scandal underscores the need for greater oversight of Big Tech. Meta’s actions are seen as a betrayal of American values and security, prompting calls for accountability and legislative action to prevent similar compromises in the future.
In a stunning revelation that underscores the lengths to which Big Tech will go to appease authoritarian regimes, a whistleblower complaint has exposed Meta’s secret efforts to enter the Chinese market by promising censorship and potentially sharing user data with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The allegations, brought forward by former Meta global policy director Sarah Wynn-Williams, paint a damning picture of Mark Zuckerberg’s company as a willing collaborator with one of the world’s most oppressive regimes—despite its public posturing as a defender of free speech and civil rights.
This scandal is not just a corporate misstep; it is a betrayal of the principles Meta claims to uphold. For years, Zuckerberg has positioned himself as a champion of a free and open internet, even as his company quietly worked to build tools that would enable the CCP to suppress dissent and surveil its citizens. The hypocrisy is staggering, and the implications for national security are profound.
The whistleblower’s bombshell
Sarah Wynn-Williams, who served as Meta’s global policy director until her termination in 2017, filed a 78-page complaint with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) detailing the company’s efforts to curry favor with Beijing. According to the complaint, Meta developed a censorship system in 2015 specifically for China, complete with a “chief editor” who would have the authority to remove content and shut down the platform during periods of “social unrest.”
Wynn-Williams alleges that Meta was willing to go even further, including restricting the account of Guo Wengui, a prominent Chinese dissident living in the United States, after pressure from a high-ranking Chinese official. The complaint also claims that Meta considered weakening privacy protections for Hong Kong users and storing Chinese user data in local data centers, which would have made it easier for the CCP to access sensitive information.
“In countries with authoritarian leanings like China, stringent government controls over data flows are twisted into tools of censorship, surveillance and repression,” said Katitza Rodriguez, policy director for global privacy at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Meta’s actions, as outlined in the complaint, suggest a company all too willing to enable such repression in pursuit of profit.
Project Aldrin: Meta’s secret China playbook
The whistleblower complaint reveals that Meta’s efforts to enter China were codenamed “Project Aldrin,” a reference to astronaut Buzz Aldrin, who landed on the moon. The project, launched in 2014, aimed to develop a version of Facebook that could operate within China’s draconian censorship laws. Internal documents show that Meta was prepared to bend its own rules to accommodate the CCP, including weakening privacy protections and granting Chinese officials oversight of content.
In one particularly egregious example, Meta considered allowing a Chinese private-equity firm, Hony Capital, to review and decide whether content posted by Chinese users was “consistent with applicable law.” The company also built a censorship system capable of automatically detecting restricted terms and popular content, hiring 300 content moderators to support the effort.
Zuckerberg’s personal involvement in courting Chinese officials is equally troubling. The CEO famously wrote a blurb for CCP Secretary Xi Jinping’s book, “The Governance of China,” and displayed a copy on his desk during a meeting with Chinese officials. He even asked Xi to name his unborn daughter—a gesture that underscores the lengths to which Zuckerberg was willing to go to win favor with Beijing.
A pattern of deception
What makes this scandal particularly egregious is the stark contrast between Meta’s public statements and its private actions. While Zuckerberg has publicly criticized China for its censorship and surveillance, his company was quietly working to enable those very practices. In a 2019 speech at Georgetown University, Zuckerberg warned that China was “exporting their vision of the internet to other countries.” Yet, behind the scenes, Meta was developing tools that would have helped the CCP tighten its grip on information.
The whistleblower complaint also alleges that Meta executives “stonewalled and provided nonresponsive or misleading information” to investors and U.S. regulators when questioned about their China efforts. This pattern of deception raises serious questions about the company’s commitment to transparency and accountability.
Why this matters today
This scandal comes at a critical moment in the ongoing battle between the United States and China for technological supremacy. As the U.S. government takes aggressive steps to counter Chinese influence—including efforts to ban TikTok—Meta’s actions reveal a troubling willingness to collaborate with the CCP.
For conservatives and national security advocates, this is a wake-up call. Big Tech companies like Meta cannot be trusted to act in the best interests of the United States. Their pursuit of profit often comes at the expense of American values and security. As Wynn-Williams aptly put it, “People deserve to know the truth.”
Meta’s spokesperson has dismissed the allegations as the work of a disgruntled former employee, but the evidence speaks for itself. The company’s willingness to compromise its principles for access to the Chinese market is a betrayal of the trust placed in it by users and regulators alike.
A call for accountability
The revelations in Wynn-Williams’ complaint underscore the urgent need for greater oversight of Big Tech. Companies like Meta wield immense power, and their actions have far-reaching consequences for free speech, privacy and national security. Congress must take action to ensure that these companies are held accountable for their actions—both at home and abroad.
As for Zuckerberg, this scandal is a stark reminder that actions speak louder than words. His company’s efforts to appease the CCP stand in stark contrast to its public rhetoric, and the American people deserve better. It’s time for Meta to come clean and for policymakers to ensure that such betrayals of trust never happen again.
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