Former Facebook Global Public Policy director Sarah Wynn-Williams testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 9, 2025, alleging that Facebook deliberately misled employees, shareholders, Congress, and the public by briefing China on U.S. artificial intelligence initiatives and deleting the account of a prominent Chinese dissident, actions aimed at benefiting its business interests in China.

The article reports on Facebook’s (via Meta) controversial approach to censor dissenting voices and its executive engagement with political power, raising concerns about its complicity in authoritarian practices.

The article details how Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's generous donation to Trump's inauguration committee is a politically charged move that aligns Facebook with authoritarian-friendly business practices. This involvement in high-stakes political contributions raises concerns over the company's complicity in supporting policies and figures that undermine democracy.

Meta’s abrupt termination of long-standing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, coupled with a strategic realignment toward Trump-era Project 2025 priorities, has raised concerns over its role in undermining marginalized communities and enabling authoritarian practices.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged the company's involvement in federal censorship efforts, raising serious concerns about free speech and the role of corporate censorship in enabling authoritarian practices.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s recent decision to scrap established fact-checking in favor of a community-driven moderation model, coupled with politically charged actions such as donating to Trump’s inauguration and appointing a close Trump ally to the board, raises serious concerns over the company's complicity in promoting authoritarian narratives and facilitating hate speech.

Meta (Facebook) has eliminated traditional fact-checking in its U.S. platforms and shifted to Community Notes, an action carried out shortly after high-profile interactions with authoritarian figures, including a million-dollar donation to Trump’s inauguration and the appointment of a close Trump ally to its board. These moves signal a prioritization of political expediency and profit over democratic accountability, likely exacerbating hate speech and misinformation.

The article details Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s shift to the right, including a $1 million donation to Trump's inaugural fund and key leadership changes aligning the company with authoritarian policies.

On January 7, 2025, Meta (Facebook) announced sweeping changes to its fact-checking and content moderation policies by closing its fact-checking program and reducing support to independent verifiers. This move, coupled with executive engagement with the incoming Trump administration, risks facilitating misinformation and divisive political narratives globally, particularly affecting users in authoritarian regimes.

Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, made a $1m donation to President-elect Trump's inaugural fund. This donation, alongside Zuckerberg’s reported dinner with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, indicates a strategic political engagement that could be seen as bolstering ties with an authoritarian figure.

A U.S. News report on the country’s top political donors highlighted that the co-founders of Facebook are among the major donors in the 2024 election cycle. This raises concerns about the company's indirect role in facilitating political contributions that may support authoritarian agendas, contributing to the erosion of democratic accountability.

Meta Platforms, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, spent a record $7.6 million on lobbying in Q1 2024. This aggressive expenditure was directed at influencing federal policies on issues like cybersecurity, data privacy, and national security while sidestepping direct involvement in contentious debates such as the TikTok ban. Critics argue that such high-level lobbying prioritizes corporate profit over democratic accountability, reinforcing structures that cater to authoritarian interests.

Facebook (Meta) is actively engaged in shaping public policy through significant political contributions, lobbying activities, and centralized executive oversight of these engagements. While structured oversight mechanisms exist, the concentration of corporate political activity raises concerns about undue influence over democratic processes.

A TIME investigation reveals severe exploitation of Facebook's outsourced content moderators in Africa, highlighting low wages, poor working conditions, and suppression of unionization efforts.

Facebook's top executives contributed over $3.9 million in political donations, channeling significant corporate influence into the political process. While many donations benefited mainstream political figures, the sheer scale raises concerns about the undue power that corporate contributions can exert on democratic institutions.

Facebook, pressured by authoritarian regimes in Vietnam and India, complied with censorship requests that led to the removal of thousands of posts. This action undermines free speech and democratic values, emphasizing profit over principled content moderation.

Facebook has been accused of using its Workplace platform to censor worker communications regarding unionization, undermining labor rights and collective bargaining, as highlighted by the United Food & Commercial Workers International Union.

Contract workers in Austin, Texas, reported retaliation for union organizing, resulting in dismissals and highlighting concerning labor practices at Facebook's contracting partner, WiPro. These actions underscore broader issues of worker exploitation and the undermining of labor rights.

An investigative report reveals how Facebook's content moderation systems and political campaign advisory roles have facilitated the rise of authoritarian regimes in countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia, the Philippines, and Serbia. The social media giant's practices have bolstered autocratic leaders and suppressed independent voices, contributing to a broader undermining of democratic processes.