Republican Senator Josh Hawley has launched a formal inquiry into Meta, accusing the technology giant of employing "lawfare" to systematically target and destroy a former employee who turned whistleblower. In a letter addressed to Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg, the senator demanded detailed information regarding the company's actions toward Sarah Wynn-Williams, Facebook’s former global head of public policy, and her family.
Wynn-Williams, who provided testimony to Hawley’s senate judiciary subcommittee on crime and counter-terrorism last year, has made serious allegations regarding Meta’s business practices. Her claims, detailed in her memoir Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism, include assertions that the company collaborated with the Chinese government on censorship tools and that its platforms negatively impact teenagers. Following an interim arbitration ruling secured by Meta, Wynn-Williams is currently prohibited from speaking about the book's contents, prompting her to sue the company over these restrictions.
Hawley described the situation as a matter of "grave public concern," arguing that Meta is attempting to make "truthful speech so perilous that no whistleblower like Ms Wynn-Williams can ever afford it." The senator’s inquiry specifically demands documents related to any efforts by Meta to monitor, track, or catalog the private and public activities of Wynn-Williams and her family members. This follows accusations from her legal team that the company has surveilled her public appearances, including photographing her and tracking her travel within the UK.
In response, a Meta spokesperson dismissed the allegations, stating that the former employee is attempting to leverage the legal system to boost book sales. The company maintains that an arbitrator already ruled she violated her signed agreement regarding a $780,000 severance package. Furthermore, Meta characterized the book as "divorced from reality" and "riddled with false claims." Regarding the ongoing arbitration, Meta’s legal filings argue that Wynn-Williams has long waived any objections by actively participating in the process and filing her own counterclaims.
Meta has previously denied targeting teenagers based on their emotional states and stated that while it once explored operating services in China, that plan was abandoned and the company does not currently operate there. Despite these denials, Hawley emphasized that the treatment of the whistleblower is "deeply troubling," stating that Congress cannot allow major corporations to suppress those who report on potential wrongdoing.
Meta also disputes that she is threatened with bankruptcy, stating in legal documents that she was paid a $780,000 (£580,000) severance package, which was the subject of intense legal negotiations.
New York magazine has previously reported that Wynn-Williams was paid an advance for her book of more than $500,000.
