https://www.thetimes.com/uk/technology-uk/article/sarah-wynn-williams-careless-people-meta-nrffdfpmf Accessibility Links Skip to content The Times & The Sunday Times * Home * UK * World * Comment * Money * Life & Style * Business * Sport * Culture * Travel * Obituaries * Puzzles * Magazines Times+ My account * Start trial * Upgrade * Manage account * Change password * My newsletters * My articles * Help * Contact us * Log out Log in Start trial Sections My account * Home * UK + Top stories + Politics + Data + London + Scotland + Royal family + Healthcare + Education + Crime + Defence + Science + Environment + Law * World + Top stories + US + Middle East + Russia-Ukraine war + Europe + Ireland + Asia + Latin America + Africa + Australasia * Comment + Today's columns + Columnists + Times view + Letters + Cartoons + Universal Register * Money + Top stories + Tax + Pensions + Mortgages + Saving & Investing + Family Finances + Ask Times Money * Life & Style + Top stories + Property & Home + Health & Fitness + Sex & Relationships + Parenting + Food & Drink + Fashion + Beauty + Luxury + Driving * Business + Top stories + Economics + Companies & Markets + Entrepreneurs + Technology * Sport + Top stories + Football + Cricket + Rugby union + Formula 1 + Tennis + Golf + Other sports * Culture + Top stories + TV & Radio + Film + Books + Music + Theatre & Dance + Classical & Opera + Art * Travel + Top stories + Destinations + Cruise + Inspiration + Hotels + Advice + Holidays * Obituaries * Puzzles + All puzzles + Crosswords + Sudokus + Word puzzles + Numbers & Logic + Board & Card games + Quizzes & Teasers + Printable puzzles * Magazines + Cover stories + The Times Magazine + The Sunday Times Magazine + Culture Magazine + Style + Luxx More * Browse by day * TV guide * Times+ * Times Events * Times Radio * Podcasts * Schools Guide * Good University Guide * Best Places to Live * Best Places to Stay * Best Places to Work * The Sunday Times Rich List * The Sunday Times 100 * Sportswomen of the Year Awards * Young Power List * The Sunday Times 100 Tech * Wine club * Appointments * Times Bookshop * Authors * Start trial * Upgrade * Manage account * Change password * My newsletters * My articles * Help * Contact us * Log out Meta stole Sarah Wynn-Williams's voice. It couldn't stop her expose The author was gagged by the firm after her book, Careless People, alleged sex harassment and censorship. Its actions prove her point, says her publisher Sarah Wynn-Williams, a blonde woman in a black blazer and blue top, leans on a bright yellow structure.Sarah Wynn-WilliamsVicki Couchman FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES Mike Harpley Sunday February 22 2026, 12.01am GMT, The Sunday Times Share Share this article Email Twitter Facebook Link Save My phone beeped. It was 10pm in the middle of a busy week in book publishing -- London Book Fair 2025. My colleagues were alerting me to a tweet by Andy Stone, a spokesman at Meta (formerly Facebook). It was short and to the point: "This ruling affirms that Sarah Wynn-Williams's false and defamatory book should never have been published." The book in question was Careless People, a gripping and explosive account of Sarah's time working at Facebook as director of global public policy from 2011 to 2017. The "ruling" to which Stone referred was made by a US arbitrator after Meta sought an injunction, banning Sarah from promoting her own book or saying anything negative about Meta, potentially for ever. I am Sarah's editor at Pan Macmillan. Like all publishers, I typically work behind the scenes to amplify the voices of our authors. I am only writing this because she cannot. The day after Stone's March 12 tweet, Careless People was due to be released in the UK. Drawing on documentary evidence, it details a staggering range of allegations, including sexual harassment, the deliberate manipulation of vulnerable teenagers and the company's alleged complicity in genocide. It also accuses Facebook of hypocrisy regarding censorship, alleging the company worked "hand in glove" with the Chinese Communist Party. But it was perhaps the personal portraits of top executives that were most damning. Sarah Wynn-Williams, former Director of Global Public Policy at Facebook, is sworn in during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Wynn-Williams is sworn in before testifying at the Senate Win McNamee /Getty Images The ruling, awarded without proper notice by an emergency arbitrator (a non-court mediator that is part of the American Arbitration Association), actually said nothing about the truth or otherwise of Sarah's devastating claims in her book. It made no mention of defamation. Instead, it relied on a non-disparagement clause in her severance agreement with Facebook to silence her. Which it did, from March 13, 2025, her publication day. We could still publish the book, but our author could not talk about it. Sarah was left in an unprecedented and unenviable position for an author, reminiscent of an Orwellian nightmare. Today, she has to police her own speech, facing fines of $50,000 for every statement that could be seen to be "negative or otherwise detrimental" to Meta. Advertisement Despite her residing in the UK, the terms of the order are so broad that they extend to the privacy of her own home, even when speaking to her own family. The $50,000 fines could apply individually to the many statements in her book too. She faces financial ruin from a multi-trillion-dollar company seeking millions of dollars she doesn't have, as part of the ongoing legal process which is yet to conclude -- and all for revealing information that is in the public interest. She is an award-winning, bestselling author. But her voice has been taken away. In some ways, Meta's intervention did us, as her publishers, a favour. Careless People was always likely to be a bestseller. But when readers realised that Meta was trying to suppress it, the book became a global phenomenon. To date we've sold almost 200,000 copies. It has received rave reviews and created a media firestorm for its revelations. But also because of the bitter irony in Meta's legal action to silence Sarah. Mike Harpley, editor at Pan Macmillan, smiles at the camera.Mike Harpley, Wynn-Williams's editor In January 2025, only a few months before it was published, chief executive Mark Zuckerberg had stated that it was "time to get back to our roots around free expression". They had abandoned the use of independent fact-checkers, claiming they were biased and encouraged censorship. Yet, in truth, free speech only mattered when it wasn't used to interrogate Meta itself. Companies like Meta are wealthier than some countries and more powerful too. They own the technology behind the modern world. We have published books about highly influential individuals before and, in my experience, they tend not to like it and have well resourced legal teams behind them. But Meta's leadership had a different level of power. So Careless People was brought to publication in an aura of secrecy and (it turns out justified) paranoia. A very small team worked on the book. We communicated on encrypted channels and whenever it was discussed, those not involved had to leave the room. There was a rumour in our office that it might be Taylor Swift's memoir. Sarah didn't even tell her mum she had written it before the news was made public. Advertisement Usually, we announce our books to retailers many months in advance. This is so they can build pre-orders and sort the logistics of getting them to bookshops in good time. After all, they deal with thousands of new titles released every week. With Careless People, the months rolled by and yet we kept delaying our announcement, conscious of potential attempts to quash it. Our incredible sales team managed to convince retailers -- including a number of supermarkets -- to stock the book without even telling them what it was, but retailers' patience had limits. When we finally did announce the book, it was just a week before publication (again unprecedented) and we had no idea what to expect. Sarah went on a publicity blitz. She did her first and only print interview with Rosamund Urwin for this paper. In a whirlwind 24 hours, she jetted off to New York for an interview with NBC, flying back overnight for an interview the following day with the BBC in our offices. She hadn't slept and arrived straight from the airport at dawn. One of the world's most significant whistleblowers showered in our basement and used a tote bag from our children's department as a towel. Who says that publishing isn't glamorous? Book cover for "Careless People" by Sarah Wynn-Williams, featuring Barbie legs upside down, above a blue shape, over a red background, with text "Power. Greed. Madness. A story of where I used to work." But the publicity tour stopped only a week after it had begun, on the day of our publication and the ruling. The audiobook, recorded in secret before the gag order took effect, soon became the only way to hear Sarah speak. And the book? Well, Meta's spokesman, Stone, called it "a mix of out-of-date and previously reported claims about the company and false accusations about our executives". Yet not everyone agreed. In April 2025, Sarah was called to give evidence to a US Senate subcommittee, alleging that she saw Meta executives "repeatedly undermine US national security and betray American values" by providing the Chinese Communist Party with access to the data of Meta users. The chairman, Republican Senator Josh Hawley, concluded the hearing by saying: "I have a message to Mark Zuckerberg, as well. It's time for you to tell the truth. You should come to this committee and take an oath and sit where Ms Wynn-Williams is sitting now and answer this evidence. Stop trying to silence her." He is yet to appear almost a year later. Sarah Wynn-Williams, a former Meta executive, testifying at a Senate hearing.Wynn-Williams gives evidence at the Senate Kent Nishimura/ Bloomberg via Getty Images In the UK, Careless People was also sent to all MPs by the Molly Rose Foundation, a charity set up to prevent suicide in people under 25. Its chief executive Andy Burrows said: "Her claims that Meta cynically exploited the wellbeing of teenage girls to grow its advertising revenue will deeply disturb parents and put the conduct of Meta's leadership under the spotlight." Advertisement Last Wednesday, Mark Zuckerberg was forced to give evidence in a landmark social media addiction trial in Los Angeles, which has the potential to set new precedents, holding social media companies legally responsible for their impact on children and adolescents. Sarah Wynn-Williams and Mark Zuckerberg posing together with another man.Wynn-Williams with Mark Zuckerberg While Zuckerberg defends his record in court, Sarah sits in London, legally gagged. She cannot comment on the trial. She cannot discuss the very book that helped spark this global conversation. With the paperback to come out this Thursday, Sarah's fate remains uncertain and the legal process rumbles on slowly in the US. Yet she retains her fighting spirit, as well as the dry humour that is richly on display in Careless People. I feel hugely honoured to have worked with her and have gained a new appreciation of the personal sacrifices that whistleblowers make for the greater good. Careless People exposed what Sarah termed a culture of "lethal carelessness". Meta's response --ruthless and chilling -- proved her point better than any marketing campaign ever could. But while they have stopped her from speaking, they could not stop you from reading. And that is why books that hold power to account are more important than ever. Mike Harpley is publisher, non-fiction at Pan, part of Pan Macmillan, and the editor of Careless People: A Story of Where I Used to Work by Sarah Wynn-Williams, published in paperback by Pan on February 26, PS10.99. Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams (Pan Macmillan PS10.99). To order a copy go to timesbookshop.co.uk. Free UK standard P&P on orders over PS25. Special discount available for Times+ members. UK Technology Share Share this article Email Twitter Facebook Link Save Related articles Facebook's secrets, by the insider Zuckerberg tried to silence Facebook's secrets, by the insider Zuckerberg tried to silence March 15, 2025, 6.00pm Rosamund Urwin, Media Editor Zuckerberg losing the dressing room spells trouble for Meta Louisa clarence-smith Zuckerberg losing the dressing room spells trouble for Meta April 15, 2025, 4.00pm Louisa Clarence-Smith, US Business Editor The 'lethal carelessness' of Facebook -- what the whistleblower saw BOOK OF THE WEEK The 'lethal carelessness' of Facebook -- what the whistleblower saw March 11, 2025, 4.00pm Emma Duncan Promoted Content Previous Article Next Article Back to top [the-times-] Get in touch * About us * Contact us * Help * The Times Editorial Complaints * The Sunday Times Editorial Complaints * Place an announcement * Classified advertising * Display advertising * The Times corrections * The Sunday Times corrections * Careers More from The Times and The Sunday Times * The Times e-paper * The Sunday Times e-paper * The Sunday Times Wine Club * Times Print Gallery * The Times Archive * Times Crossword Club * Sunday Times Driving * Times+ * The Sunday Times Rich List * Travel * Good University Guide * Schools Guide * Newsletters * Best Places to Live * Best Places to Stay * Best British Makers * Best Law Firms * Podcasts * Times Luxury * Sportswomen of the Year Awards * Best Places to Work * Puzzles * TV guide * Times Radio * The Sunday Times 100 * Times Bookshop * Times Financial Partners * Times Appointments More from News Corp * The Australian * Barron's * Dow Jones * Financial News London * Investor's Business Daily * Mansion Global * MarketWatch * Realtor.com * The Sun * Times Literary Supplement * The Wall Street Journal * talkSPORT (c) Times Media Limited 2025. 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