Facebook was 'hand in glove' with China, BBC told

A former high-ranking Facebook executive has revealed some shocking details about the company's close relationship with the Chinese government. Sarah Wynn-Williams, who previously served as Facebook's global public policy director, stated that the social media giant worked 'hand in glove' with Beijing to explore ways to allow the Chinese authorities to censor and control online content. In exchange for access to China's vast market of hundreds of millions of users, Facebook's founder, Mark Zuckerberg, reportedly considered the idea of hiding popular posts until they could be reviewed by the Chinese government. This information comes from a new book by Ms. Wynn-Williams, who has also filed a whistleblower complaint with the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), alleging that Meta, Facebook's parent company, misled investors about its operations in China. The BBC has reviewed her complaint. In response, Meta stated that Ms. Wynn-Williams was terminated in 2017 for poor performance and emphasized that it was 'no secret' that the company had once been interested in operating in China, although they ultimately decided against pursuing those ideas. Meta referred to comments made by Zuckerberg in 2019, where he stated, 'We could never come to an agreement on what it would take for us to operate there, and they [China] never let us in. ' Furthermore, Ms. Wynn-Williams alleged that Facebook used algorithms to identify when young teenagers were feeling vulnerable, as part of research aimed at advertisers. She joined Facebook in 2011 and claims to have witnessed the company's growth from a unique perspective. Now, she aims to shed light on some of the 'decision-making and moral compromises' that occurred during her time there. She believes it is a critical moment, as many of her former colleagues will play significant roles in the development of artificial intelligence in the future. In her memoir, Careless People, Ms. Wynn-Williams paints a vivid picture of her experiences on Facebook's senior team. She describes Zuckerberg as someone who did not wake up before noon, enjoyed karaoke, and disliked losing at board games like Risk. 'I didn't realize that you were supposed to let him win. I was a little naive,' she admitted. However, she believes her allegations about the company's close ties with China provide valuable insight into Facebook's decision-making processes during that time. Ms. Wynn-Williams referred to China as Zuckerberg's 'white whale,' a metaphor for an elusive goal he obsessively pursued. Despite being the world's largest social media market, Facebook remains blocked in China, along with platforms like X and YouTube. 'It's the one piece on the board game that he hasn't conquered,' she remarked. According to Ms. Wynn-Williams, during negotiations with the Chinese government in the mid-2010s, Facebook considered granting access to user data from Chinese citizens. 'He was working hand in glove with the Chinese Communist Party, building a censorship tool… basically working to develop sort of the antithesis of many of the principles that underpin Facebook,' she told the BBC. She noted that while other governments often requested explanations about Facebook's software, they were told it was proprietary information. However, when it came to the Chinese government, Facebook provided extensive access and ensured that Chinese officials were well-trained to understand and test the censorship tools they were developing. Meta responded to the BBC by stating that claims about their relationship with China had been 'widely reported' in the past. In her SEC complaint, Ms. Wynn-Williams also alleged that Zuckerberg and other Meta executives made misleading statements in response to inquiries from Congress regarding China. In 2018, Zuckerberg testified that Facebook was 'not in a position to know exactly how the [Chinese] government would seek to apply its laws and regulations on content. ' Meta insisted that Zuckerberg's testimony was accurate and reiterated that they did not operate services in China. Interestingly, most Facebook executives reportedly did not allow their own children to use Facebook, according to Ms. Wynn-Williams. 'They had screen bans. They certainly wouldn't allow them to use the product. ' Yet, she claimed that the company was using algorithms to target and categorize vulnerable teens. 'The algorithm could infer that they were feeling worthless or unhappy,' she alleged. The company, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, could identify when a teenage girl deleted a selfie on its platforms and then notify a beauty company that it would be a good time to target her with an advertisement. Ms. Wynn-Williams expressed her discomfort with this practice, stating that she 'felt sick' at the thought and tried to push back, although she knew it was futile. 'They said: 'The business side thinks this is exactly what we should be doing. We've got this amazing product, we can get young people, which is a really important advertising segment. ' Meta denied these claims, asserting that it has never offered tools to target individuals based on their emotional state and that its research was aimed at helping marketers understand how people express themselves on Facebook, not to target ads. Ms. Wynn-Williams believes that Meta has not done enough to address the issue of young people's safety on social media. 'This is one of the most valuable companies in the world. They could invest in this and make it a real priority and do more to fix it,' she stated. Facebook claimed that it was transparent about its advertising practices and was working to create age-appropriate advertising experiences for teens. They also mentioned the introduction of 'Teen Accounts' for millions of young users, which come with built-in protections. In addition to citing poor performance, Meta stated that Ms. Wynn-Williams was also fired for 'toxic behavior' after making misleading allegations of harassment. However, she contended that she was let go after complaining about inappropriate comments made by one of her superiors, Joel Kaplan, who is now Meta's chief global affairs officer. Meta accused her of being funded by 'anti-Facebook activists' and stated that she was not a whistleblower. 'Whistleblower status protects communications to the government, not disgruntled activists trying to sell books,' they asserted. Regarding her memoir, Meta confirmed that it has initiated legal action in the U. S. to stop the distribution of what they describe as defamatory and untrue information. In response, a legal representative for Ms. Wynn-Williams stated, 'Meta has made a number of false and inconsistent statements about Sarah since the news of her memoir broke. while Meta's statements are trying to mislead the public, the book speaks for itself. ' When asked why she chose to speak out now, Ms. Wynn-Williams expressed her desire for Meta to change, as it 'influences so much of our day-to-day life,' and emphasized the need to ensure 'we get the future we deserve. ' She highlighted the importance of understanding the collaboration between tech and political leaders, as it has significant consequences for everyone.