Meta Seeks to Halt Promotion of 'Careless People' by Sarah Wynn-Williams, Alleging Sexual Harassment and China Data Sharing

Sarah Wynn-Williams, a former director of global public policy at Meta, has released a memoir titled 'Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism,' detailing her experiences and allegations against the company. The book includes claims of sexual harassment by Meta's current policy chief, Joel Kaplan, and describes the company's efforts from 2014 to 2019 to enter the Chinese market, including developing a censorship system under 'Project Aldrin' and considering sharing user data, including Hong Kong data, with the Chinese government. Wynn-Williams also mentions the targeting of Chinese dissident Guo Wengui and Meta's involvement in an anti-TikTok campaign through the organization American Edge. Meta has responded aggressively to the book's release, seeking to halt its promotion and distribution. An emergency arbitrator ruled in favor of Meta, ordering Wynn-Williams to stop promoting the book and making disparaging remarks about the company. However, the ruling does not affect the book's publisher, Macmillan, which continues to distribute the book. Wynn-Williams also filed a 78-page whistleblower complaint with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in April 2024, alleging that Meta misled investors regarding its efforts to launch services in China. Meta has denied these allegations, stating that it once considered operating in China but ultimately decided against it in 2019. Wynn-Williams's memoir also touches on other issues at Meta, including concerns about teen safety on social media platforms, the use of algorithms to target vulnerable teenagers, and personal anecdotes about CEO Mark Zuckerberg's habits, such as his preference for waking up after midday, his interest in karaoke, and his dislike of losing at the board game Risk.