Ex-Facebook employee to tell Congress the company undermined U.S. national security

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: NBC News

April 8, 2025, 6:37 PM EDT / Updated April 8, 2025, 9:21 PM EDT


Sarah Wynn-Williams, a former Facebook employee who alleged misconduct and sexual harassment at the company in a memoir published last month, will testify before Congress on Wednesday that Meta executives undermined U.S. national security and briefed Chinese officials on emerging technologies like artificial intelligence.

In her introductory statement, obtained by NBC News, Wynn-Williams will tell the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism that Meta executives “lied about what they were doing with the Chinese Communist Party to employees, shareholders, Congress, and the American public.”

“I saw Meta executives repeatedly undermine US national security and betray American values,” she will say, according to the prepared remarks. “They did these things in secret to win favor with Beijing and build an $18 billion dollar business in China,” her statement says, referring to China-based advertisers.

Wynn-Williams, a former New Zealand diplomat, worked at Facebook from 2011 to 2017. She believes she was fired in 2017 as retaliation for accusing her boss, Joel Kaplan, who at the time was a vice president for global public policy, of sexual harassment. Meta, which owns Facebook, said that an investigation cleared Kaplan in 2017 and that Wynn-Williams’ book, “Careless People,” included “false accusations about our executives.” Meta also said other claims in the book were “out-of-date and previously reported,” and a former supervisor said she was fired for performance reasons. In a statement Tuesday night, Meta spokesperson Andy Stone criticized Wynn-Williams’ planned remarks.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/ex-facebook-employee-congress-company-sarah-wynn-williams-meta-senate-rcna200334

[UpInArms]

1. I hate fakebook

With a passion

It is evil evil evil

[Wonder Why]

2. I don't like being a Contra but she witnessed all that

“I saw Meta executives repeatedly undermine US national security and betray American values,”

yet didn't quit and/or go public about it at the time. It's not clear in the article (I didn't watch the video) whether what she witnessed came before or after the sexual harassment. If the harassment occurred first, I can see that she might have been traumatized enough to be afraid to speak out about what the company was doing but if it was not, she just gives the company a way to crush her with their attorneys making her look bad.

I hope she wins in the courts of law and the Court of Public Opinion. Good for her and I'm glad her book is selling well.

[Botany]

3. Trump Digital Director Hong, "We wouldn't have won the election ('16) w/out Facebook."

After working with Russia and Cambridge Analytica to rat fuck the 2016 election Facebook
changed it’s name to META and paid a 5 billion $ penalty.

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/magazine-40852227

Please avoid it be it META or Facebook.

[Hope22]

4. I wonder where the $5 billion dollar penalty was paid to...... n/t

[BumRushDaShow]

7. It *should have* gone into the U.S. Treasury

(July 24, 2019)

FTC Imposes $5 Billion Penalty and Sweeping New Privacy Restrictions on Facebook

Facebook Agrees to Pay $5 Billion and Implement Robust New Protections of User Information in Settlement of Data-Privacy Claims

(from DOJ who represents FTC for court actions (PDF) - https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/press-release/file/1186511/dl)

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff
v.
FACEBOOK, Inc.,
a corporation,
Defendant.

Case No. 19-cv-2184

PLAINTIFF’S CONSENT MOTION
FOR ENTRY OF STIPULATED
ORDER FOR CIVIL PENALTY,
MONETARY JUDGMENT, AND
INJUNCTIVE RELIEF AND
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT

On July 24, 2019, the United States of America, acting upon notification and authorization
to the Attorney General by the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), filed its Complaint for Civil
Penalties, Injunction, and Other Relief against Facebook, Inc. (“Facebook”). The parties have
reached a settlement of the Complaint’s allegations and memorialized those terms in the attached
proposed Stipulated Order for Civil Penalty, Monetary Judgment, and Injunctive Relief (“Stipulated
Order”). The Stipulated Order requires Facebook to pay a $5 billion civil penalty and imposes
significant injunctive relief, primarily in the form of an amended administrative order that will be
entered by the FTC.
(snip)

I. MONETARY JUDGMENT FOR CIVIL PENALTY

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that:
A. Judgment in the amount of FIVE BILLION dollars ($5,000,000,000.00) is entered in favor
of Plaintiff against Defendant as a civil penalty pursuant to Section 5(l) of the FTC Act, 15 U.S.C.
§ 45(l).
B. Defendant is ordered to pay to Plaintiff, by making payment to the Treasurer of the United
States, FIVE BILLION dollars ($5,000,000,000.00), which, as Defendant stipulates, its
undersigned counsel holds in escrow for no purpose other than payment to Plaintiff. Such
payment must be made within 7 days of entry of this Stipulated Order by electronic fund transfer
in accordance with instructions specified by a representative of Plaintiff.
C. In the event of any default in payment, the entire unpaid amount, together with interest, as
computed pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1961 from the date of default to the date of payment, shall
immediately become due and payable.
D. Defendant relinquishes dominion and all legal and equitable right, title, and interest to all
funds paid pursuant to this Stipulated Order. Defendant shall make no claim to or demand for
return of the funds, directly or indirectly, through counsel or otherwise.
E. Defendant agrees that the facts alleged in the Complaint will be taken as true, without
further proof, only in any subsequent civil litigation by Plaintiff to enforce its rights to any
payment or monetary judgment pursuant to this Stipulated Order.
F. Defendant acknowledges that its Taxpayer Identification Numbers (Social Security
Numbers or Employer Identification Numbers), which Defendant has previously submitted to
Plaintiff, may be used for collecting and reporting on any delinquent amount arising out of this
Stipulated Order, in accordance with 31 U.S.C. § 7701

(snip)

[Hope22]

9. Thank you.

I would love to see the deposit slip. 👍

[BumRushDaShow]

10. Most welcome

and LOL!!

Am sure it's been LONG spent!

[TommieMommy]

5. I will not use Facebook

[calimary]

6. I stopped Facebook awhile ago.

And I won’t be going back.

[Hope22]

11. To see the Z on stage Inauguration 2025 twisted my insides.

Completely unbelievable after this one crime committed against the country. If we knew everything it would be crushing!

[Skittles]

13. look how few replies DU articles on fasicst FB get

people just don't care as long as FB makes it easy to "keep up with friends and family"

[50 Shades Of Blue]

8. FB "undermine US national security and betray American values"? Wow. Just like Trump!!!

[mdbl]

12. Congress doesn't give a shit about Dump, do you think they care about Fakebook?

Good luck getting them to do anything. Every incompetent sycophantic boob is screwing up every system of justice in the U.S. and the head boob keeps releasing criminals from jail while the Repug controlled Congress does nothing. At least Susan Collins might be concerned, I think.