Meta's action follows claims of collaboration with the Chinese government outlined in Sarah Wynn-Williams' memoir, leading to a temporary cessation of her promotional efforts.
Meta Secures Ruling to Halt Promotion of Former Director's Controversial Memoir
Meta Secures Ruling to Halt Promotion of Former Director's Controversial Memoir
Meta has successfully received a court order to prevent a former Facebook director from promoting her critical memoir, which alleges misconduct at the company.
In a significant legal development, Meta has obtained an emergency ruling in the US to prevent Sarah Wynn-Williams, a former director at Facebook, from promoting her memoir, "Careless People." This book recounts her experiences during her tenure as global public policy director, containing several allegations related to Facebook's operations and its conduct regarding the Chinese government.
Meta asserts that the ruling reinforces its stance against what it describes as a "false and defamatory" publication. Conversely, Wynn-Williams’ publisher, Macmillan, has voiced its commitment to free speech, emphasizing the author's right to share her narrative despite the ruling that limits her promotional activities.
The arbitration hearing, held by the American Arbitration Association, revealed that Meta had presented substantial evidence suggesting a breach of Wynn-Williams’ severance contract. Consequently, the arbitrator ruled that she must refrain from engaging in any further negative commentary about Meta, and that previous remarks should also be retracted if within her control.
Wynn-Williams' book details her journey with Facebook from its inception in 2011, including allegations of executive collaboration with Chinese authorities regarding content censorship as a strategy for market access. Meta has denied these claims, stating that while there were initial interests in operating within China, they ultimately opted against pursuing those avenues.
Moreover, Wynn-Williams has lodged a whistleblower complaint with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, claiming that Meta misled investors—a claim which the company continues to refute.
According to a Meta representative, this ruling underscores that the memoir should not have been published in the first place, with the company expressing concerns about the potential “immediate and irreparable loss” it could face without this legal intervention. "Careless People," released in the US earlier this week and currently ranking sixth on Amazon's chart, has seen its UK launch delayed due to the ongoing legal disputes.
