US Senate Investigates Meta’s Efforts to Enter Chinese Market and Alleged Censorship Tools

A U.S. Senate sub-committee has launched an investigation into Meta Platforms’ (formerly Facebook) efforts to break into the Chinese market, focusing on claims that the tech giant developed censorship tools tailored for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

The bipartisan probe, led by Senator Ron Johnson, chairman of the Senate Permanent Sub-committee on Investigations, along with Senators Richard Blumenthal and Josh Hawley, is demanding Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg provide documents related to the company’s alleged dealings with Chinese authorities.

According to a letter obtained by Reuters, the senators are requesting comprehensive records from Meta, including internal communications and meeting notes with Chinese officials dating back to 2014. The deadline for submission is set for April 21.

The inquiry was sparked by revelations in Careless People, a new book by former Facebook executive and whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams. The book alleges that Meta initiated a strategic plan in 2014—internally dubbed “Project Aldrin”—aimed at securing access to China’s tightly controlled internet market. The senators claim these allegations are supported by internal Meta documents reviewed by the sub-committee.

In addition to “Project Aldrin,” the Senate is seeking information on Meta’s involvement in various apps launched in China, including Colourful Balloons, Flash, Boomerang, Layout, Hyperlapse, and MSQRD. They also request records related to content censorship at the request of the Chinese government and details surrounding a discontinued undersea cable project between California and Hong Kong.

Meta has dismissed the allegations, pointing out that the whistleblower was terminated in 2016 for performance issues. “We have never operated our services in China. While we explored opportunities in the past, we chose not to proceed,” a Meta spokesperson said, referencing a decision announced by Mark Zuckerberg in 2019.

Senator Blumenthal called the findings “chilling,” stating that whistleblower documents “paint a damning portrait of a company willing to censor, conceal, and deceive to gain access to the Chinese market.”

The investigation highlights growing U.S. concerns over Big Tech’s entanglements with authoritarian regimes and how those relationships may compromise data privacy, freedom of expression, and national security.