(Central News Agency) Facebook has faced allegations of engaging with the Chinese Communist Party, creating mechanisms to censor widely circulated content for users in Taiwan and Hong Kong, as well as contributing to the development of artificial intelligence in China, resulting in increased controversy. Senator Josh Hawley recently dispatched a letter to Mark Zuckerberg, urging him to provide testimony before Congress concerning these allegations, asserting, “The American populace is entitled to ascertain the truth regarding your company.”

On the ninth of this month, Sarah Wynn-Williams, the former global policy director for Facebook, provided testimony before the Senate. She asserted that Mark Zuckerberg, the Chief Executive Officer of Meta, directed significant attention towards the financially advantageous Chinese market and engaged in collaboration with the Communist Party, including the personal design and implementation of Facebook’s censorship tools.

Wynn-Williams indicated that should the view counts on posts originating from Taiwan or Hong Kong surpass 10,000, the censorship tool would automatically forward the posts for evaluation by the “editor-in-chief.” This tool was not exclusively activated in Hong Kong and Taiwan; it was additionally subjected to testing by Chinese officials, who offered recommendations such as, “This section requires modification,” and “We need to incorporate this functionality.”

On the 11th of this month, Senator Hawley, the Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, dispatched a letter to Mr. Zuckerberg, formally requesting his testimony before Congress.

In his correspondence, Mr. Hawley expressed, “The public possesses the inherent right to receive your response concerning these grave allegations,” particularly given that the accusations pertain to national security.

Consequently, we cordially invite you to provide testimony at the forthcoming hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, entitled ‘Truth Time, Part Deux: Oversight of Meta’s Foreign Relations and Testimony to the U.S. Congress.’ We anticipate your insights on this matter.

Hawley articulated that the citizens of the United States possess the right to comprehend the veracity regarding Facebook. Wynn-Williams’ testament encompassed significant allegations, notably that Facebook neglected U.S. national interests, deceived American users and dissidents in China, and misled Congress.

Hawley asserted that Wynn-Williams provided testimony on the 9th indicating that Facebook had presented artificial intelligence technology to officials of the Chinese Communist Party, thereby facilitating their ability to compete effectively against American interests. Furthermore, it was stated that Meta’s own artificial intelligence technology had been utilised by China for military applications.

Hawley stated that Wynn-Williams testified that Facebook expressed a willingness to provide data from users located in China and Hong Kong to the Communist Party. Furthermore, she indicated that Facebook intended to establish internet points of presence (PoP) servers within China, fully aware that this action would enable the Communist Party to access potential user data stored on those servers.

Hawley asserted that Facebook provided false information to Congress several years prior, denying any restrictions imposed on the account of dissident Guo Wengui, a prominent Chinese entrepreneur.

The individual asserted that a Facebook executive testified before Congress under oath, claiming that Facebook had adhered to its standard operating procedures. However, written evidence corroborated by whistleblowers, which was presented during the hearing on the 9^th, indicated that Facebook restricted Guo Wengui’s account due to pressure from the Chinese government.

Wynn-Williams released a publication entitled “Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism” on March 11, which reflects upon her professional experiences during her tenure at Facebook from 2011 to 2017.

Despite Meta securing an arbitration ruling that temporarily prohibits Wynn-Williams from authoring a book or making defamatory statements against Meta, the book has nonetheless achieved the status of a bestseller on The New York Times list.

During her testimony, Wynn-Williams indicated that whenever she publicly referenced “Facebook, “ Meta would require a payment of $50,000 (approximately NT$1.62 million) from her, irrespective of the veracity of her statements. In response, Meta clarified that this amount was specified in her separation agreement upon her departure from the company.