Former Meta Executive Sues Company Over Censorship Claims
A former executive at Meta has taken legal action against the company, claiming it is trying to silence her. Her memoir, titled “Careless People,” offers a revealing glimpse into her experiences at the social media giant.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Northern California, argues that Meta’s order for private arbitration that prohibits her from discussing the company or promoting her book is not valid. She contends that the severance agreement she signed when she departed from Meta, which included a non-disparagement clause, was agreed to under pressure.
Sarah Wynn-Williams held the role of director of global public policy at Facebook, now under Meta Platforms Inc., from 2011 until her dismissal in 2017. In her book, she describes alleged troubling behavior by CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other executives, including efforts by Zuckerberg to gain favor with Chinese officials. Meta has countered her claims, asserting that she breached her agreement and wrote a book filled with inaccuracies.
The lawsuit claims Meta is demanding $50,000 each time she allegedly violates the non-disparagement agreement, placing her under significant financial strain. Wynn-Williams is requesting that the court dismiss the arbitration order and annul her severance agreement with the organization.
Meta responded to the allegations by stating that the former employee is attempting to leverage the legal system to promote her book, which an arbitrator previously ruled was in violation of the agreement she had signed in exchange for a substantial severance payout. They allege her book is detached from reality, defamatory, and riddled with falsehoods.
According to the lawsuit, Meta sought and obtained an emergency gag order to prevent Wynn-Williams and her legal team from criticizing the company or discussing her book. It reveals that for over a year after her book’s release, Meta allegedly monitored her, sending representatives to her public appearances and taking photographs of her to ensure she did not mention Meta or her memoir.
The lawsuit highlights that Meta even objected to her participation in an arts and literary festival in the U.K. earlier this year, where she sat on a panel but chose to remain silent since other panelists were harsh critics of the company.
“Meta is pursuing Ms. Wynn-Williams at the expense of free speech and legal rights not only because she refused to yield to the greed and authority of Meta, Mr. Zuckerberg, and other executives, but also to instill fear in anyone else who might consider revealing the truth about Meta’s unlawful and abusive practices in the interest of the public,” the lawsuit states.
