A United States Senate investigative subcommittee is reviewing Meta Platforms’ efforts to access the Chinese market and has requested extensive documentation from the company.

The Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, led by Senator Ron Johnson and joined by Senators Richard Blumenthal and Josh Hawley, has asked Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to submit records by Apr. 21.

This request includes internal communications and details of meetings with Chinese government officials dating back to 2014.

The inquiry follows allegations from the book ‘Careless People’ by former Facebook executive Sarah Wynn-Williams.

The book asserts that Meta developed a “three-year plan” in 2014, referred to as “Project Aldrin,” to enter the Chinese market.

Meta has denied the allegations, stating that the claims originate from a former employee who was terminated eight years ago.

A Meta spokesperson noted, “We do not operate our services in China today. It is no secret we were once interested in doing so as part of Facebook’s effort to connect the world,” adding that the company ultimately abandoned these plans in 2019.

The senators are also seeking documents related to Meta’s subsidiaries, Chinese partners, and apps launched in China, such as Colorful Balloons, Flash, and Boomerang.

Additionally, the subcommittee has requested records concerning any efforts to censor content at the request of the Chinese government and details regarding a canceled undersea telecommunications cable project between California and Hong Kong.

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