Sarah Wynn-Williams, a former Meta executive who wrote an explosive exposé about the company, is reportedly on the verge of bankruptcy after being hit with a gag order that fines her $50,000 (£37,000) for every breach. The order, secured by Meta, prevents her from criticising the social media giant.
Labour MP Louise Haigh raised the case in the House of Commons, accusing Meta of trying to “silence and punish” Wynn-Williams for speaking out. Haigh said the former diplomat is being pushed to financial ruin through the UK arbitration system, despite Meta’s previous public statements that it no longer uses non-disclosure agreements in cases of sexual harassment.
Wynn-Williams’s book, Careless People, published by Pan Macmillan, made allegations about Meta’s dealings with China and its treatment of teenagers, as well as claims of sexual harassment, which Meta denies. The company says she was fired for “poor performance and toxic behaviour” and that the book contains false accusations.
Meta has emphasised that Wynn-Williams entered into the non-disparagement agreement voluntarily when she left the company in 2017. To date, Meta says she has not been forced to make any payments under the agreement. The company declined to comment on Haigh’s intervention.
Wynn-Williams appeared before a US Senate judiciary subcommittee in April, where she alleged Meta worked “hand in glove” with Beijing over censorship tools, which Meta denies. In a written statement this month, she said she wished she could say more and urged other tech employees to share what they know before more children are harmed.
