Sarah Wynn-Williams, a former Facebook director of global public policy, was effectively silenced during a scheduled appearance at the Hay Festival following legal action by Meta, Facebook’s parent company. Wynn-Williams, a New Zealand national, is the author of a memoir titled *Careless People*, which offers a critical account of Meta’s internal culture and global ambitions.

Meta secured a court injunction preventing Wynn-Williams from publicly promoting her book, warning that her planned participation in the festival would violate the terms of the legal order. Under the injunction, she faces a penalty of $50,000 (£37,000) for each instance of disparaging the company. As a result, Wynn-Williams attended the event but remained silent throughout her hour-long session before a full audience.

The discussion, originally scheduled as a dialogue between Wynn-Williams and Tim Wu, a Columbia Law School professor and author with expertise in technology and antitrust issues, was restricted to Wu responding to all questions. Festival organizers also withdrew copies of *Careless People* from the event’s bookstore in compliance with Meta’s legal demands.

During the session, Wu described the situation as emblematic of "private censorship," stating that the power to suppress speech typically associated with governments has increasingly shifted to private corporations. He highlighted concerns that some of the most significant abuses of power in contemporary society arise not from traditional state actors but from dominant technology firms.

Meta has dismissed Wynn-Williams’ claims as false and defamatory. Upon the memoir’s release, the company asserted that she was terminated due to poor performance and toxic behavior, and accused her of making baseless allegations of harassment. Meta has declined to comment specifically on her appearance at the Hay Festival.

Festival director Helen Bagnall addressed the audience regarding the decision to remove the book, indicating the impact of Meta’s legal measures on the event. The episode underscores ongoing tensions around the limits of corporate influence, freedom of speech, and the role of whistleblowers in exposing internal practices of major technology companies.