Author of explosive Meta memoir to star at US Senate hearing

Sarah Wynn-Williams alleged Meta explored the possibility of breaking into the Chinese market by appeasing Beijing’s government censors.

The former Facebook employee behind a scathing book about parent company Meta will testify Wednesday before US senators keen to establish whether the social networking giant ever collaborated with the Chinese government.

Former global policy director Sarah Wynn-Williams has alleged the company explored the possibility of breaking into the lucrative Chinese market by appeasing Beijing's government censors.

Meta communications director Andy Stone told AFP the company "ultimately decided not to go through with the ideas we'd explored."

The company's family of apps is currently blocked in China.

Wynn-Williams's testimony at a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing will focus on Meta's foreign relations moves and on what its executives have previously told Congress.

Of particular interest at Wednesday's hearing, headed by Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, is whether Wynn-Williams contradicts what Meta co-founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has stated under oath during past congressional hearings.

Wynn-Williams's book, "Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed and Lost Idealism," was released on March 11 and became a hot seller despite Meta winning an arbitration court order barring the author from promoting the work or making derogatory statements about the company.