Sarah Wynn-Williams, a former Facebook executive and author of the memoir 'Careless People', was forced to sit silently on stage at the Hay Festival after lawyers warned her not to speak due to ongoing legal action by Meta.
Wynn-Williams was scheduled to appear in conversation with journalist Carole Cadwalladr and academic Tim Wu. Instead, she remained mute for the hour-long discussion, unable even to nod or shake her head. Cadwalladr described the situation as a 'hostage situation', prompting a standing ovation from the audience.
Meta secured an emergency legal order before the book's publication, preventing Wynn-Williams from discussing aspects of it publicly. She faces fines of $50,000 (£37,000) for each breach. The company later filed a sanctions motion claiming her public appearances violate the order, specifically citing the Hay Festival appearance.
Cadwalladr read a letter from Wynn-Williams' lawyers stating that Meta's motion argued she violates the order 'any time she appears in public in a place where she should know that her book is available for sale'. The festival withdrew 'Careless People' from sale during the event to avoid breaching the order.
Wu condemned the restrictions as censorship, saying 'some of the worst abuses in our time are not confined to kings, emperors, governments ... but to a class of companies that have assumed the sovereign affect'. Cadwalladr called Meta's actions 'trolling-like behaviour'.
