A former Facebook executive sat in silence during a panel discussion about her tell-all book at the Hay Festival on Sunday following legal action by her former employer, Meta, per bbc.com.
New Zealand-born Sarah Wynn-Williams, one of the most senior executives to speak out against Mark Zuckerberg, was introduced at the Powys event as “an author in a hostage situation” due to the threat of further litigation if she promoted her book, *Careless People*.
Investigative journalist Carole Cadwalladr, who appeared on stage alongside Wynn-Williams, explained that Meta had obtained a temporary order preventing the author from speaking about certain topics or promoting her work, regardless of the truth of her statements.
Meta denied attempting to silence Wynn-Williams or restrict her freedom of speech. The tech giant stated that the restriction stems from a binding interim arbitration award that Wynn-Williams agreed to during her employment, which explicitly prohibits book promotion. Meta added that it is simply entitled to ask that the arbitrator’s order be observed.
Panelist Tim Wu, a Columbia University professor and former adviser to the Obama and Biden administrations, criticised the lawsuit as an institutional reaction designed to maximize punishment and warn other potential whistleblowers. Wu characterised the action as private censorship and a demonstration of sovereign-like power by a corporation.
Meta, formerly known as Facebook before a major corporate rebranding in October 2021, is based in Menlo Park, California. The conglomerate owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, and transitioned to its current name to focus on developing the “metaverse,” a virtual reality environment for work and communication.
•Featured image: Facebook whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams did not speak at a panel about her book because of a threat of legal action/Hay Festival
