Hawley Investigates Zuckerberg for Alleged Perjury and China Ties Amidst Censorship Claims

Senator Josh Hawley is leading an investigation into Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, alleging that he lied to Congress regarding Facebook's relationship with China and its censorship practices. The investigation centers around claims that Facebook developed censorship tools in collaboration with Beijing, including facial recognition technology and a "kill switch" for news, potentially for use against dissidents both inside and outside of China. Hawley's committee is set to hold a hearing on Wednesday, with a whistleblower, Sarah Wynn-Williams, a former Facebook executive, cooperating with the investigation. Wynn-Williams' book details Facebook's alleged plans to build its business in China, including partnering with a Chinese company to develop censorship tools and provide user data to the CCP. These tools reportedly included a "virality counter" to automatically examine content with over 10,000 views by Chinese users. Senators Ron Johnson and Richard Blumenthal have joined Hawley in demanding records and communications pertaining to Meta's operations within China. Hawley has stated that Zuckerberg could face criminal charges if perjury is proven. Meta has denied the allegations, stating that it does not operate its services in China today and that it ultimately opted not to go through with the explored ideas. The hearing aims to uncover the truth about Meta's dealings with China and its representations to the U.S. Congress.