Meta’s former global policy director, Sarah Wynn-Williams, claims that the social media giant bent over backwards for Beijing, promising to let the ruling party oversee all content within China and even agreeing to install a "chief editor" with the power to pull the plug on the platform during periods of "social unrest." 

The complaint, seen by The Washington Post, alleges that Mark Zuckerberg personally agreed to crack down on a high-profile Chinese dissident living in the US after getting pressure from a top Chinese official.

Wynn-Williams claims that Meta execs repeatedly misled investors and US regulators about its cozy relationship with China, stonewalling questions about their activities. 

In 2015, Meta went as far as building a custom censorship system tailored to the Chinese government’s demands. The setup could automatically detect restricted terms and suppress viral content deemed problematic by Beijing. When Meta couldn’t officially operate in China, it allegedly launched a few stealth social apps under the guise of a China-based company created by one of its employees. 

Meanwhile, Chinese officials were pushing for all Chinese user data—including that of Hongkongers—to be stored in local data centres, making it easier for Beijing to snoop. Meta was at least entertaining the idea. 

Wynn-Williams told the Washington Post that "for many years Meta has been working hand in glove with the Chinese Communist Party, briefing them on the latest technological developments and lying about it."

Meta spokesman Andy Stone said it was “no secret" the company had explored entering China but ultimately backed out by 2019.

Wynn-Williams, who was fired in 2017, isn’t just making noise with a complaint—she’s also got a book coming out this week, Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism so Meta’s PR bunnies are going to have a hectic week.