Coverage
The book (and the SEC filing, see below) documents attempts by Mark Zuckerberg to gain dominance in China. Although Facebook developed these technologies, it eventually decided not to implement them. Academic John Naughton writes that these efforts included: [5]
developing a censorship system for China in 2015 that would allow a "chief editor" to decide what content to remove, and the ability to shut down the entire site during "social unrest"; assembling a "China team" in 2014 for a project to develop China-compliant versions of Meta's services; considering the weakening of privacy protections for Hong Kong users; building a specialised censorship system for China with automatic detection of restricted terms; and restricting the account of Guo Wengui, a Chinese government critic, after a Chinese internet regulator suggested it would improve cooperation.
Wynn-Williams accuses Zuckerberg of lying to the US Congress about the extent of efforts by Facebook to woo the Chinese government. Wynn-Williams suggests that Facebook was developing technologies and tools to allow the Chinese government to censor users and gain access to their data. [9]
The military junta in Myanmar was facilitated by Facebook to post hate speech that sought to foment sexual violence and promote genocide against the Rohingya. "Myanmar would have been a better place if Facebook had not arrived" Wynn-Williams writes. [9] [10]
Wynn-Williams claims Meta identified teenage girls who had deleted selfies on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp and forwarded their data to companies who used the data to target the girls with beauty products. [9]
The book details allegations of unaddressed sexual harassment in the workplace by senior Meta executives, including Sheryl Sandberg, [9] Sandberg reportedly told Wynn-Williams on one occasion: "You should have got into the bed". [11]
Reception
Prior to publication, Wynn-Williams lodged a 78‑page complaint with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). [5] Wynn-Williams also briefed The Washington Post , recorded an interview with journalist Emily Maitlis, and appeared on a podcast with Steve Bannon. [5]
Careless People received coverage from The New York Times , Financial Times , and The Guardian . Some reviews described the book as a detailed insider's account of Big Tech's influence, while others stated that it contained little new information. [12] Meta describes the book as "a mix of out-of-date and previously reported claims about the company and false accusations about [its] executives". [6] Some quotes follow from The New York Times:
"darkly funny and genuinely shocking: an ugly, detailed portrait of one of the most powerful companies in the world" [13] — New York Times
And Business Insider:
"The most damning moments in the book had already been reported in the news." [14] — Business Insider
Mark Zuckerberg responded legally through private arbitration. The American Arbitration Association 's emergency arbitrator, Nicholas Gowen, [15] required Wynn-Williams to not make "orally, in writing, or otherwise any disparaging, critical or otherwise detrimental comments to any person or entity concerning [Meta], its officers, directors, or employees". [5] [16] Macmillan, the UK publisher, later issued a statement saying that it would ignore the ruling. [5] Gowen stated that without emergency relief, Meta would suffer "immediate and irreparable loss". [6] Nicholas Gowen did not order any action by the publisher. [17] [18] Hours before an arbitrator barred Wynn-Williams from promoting her book, she was interviewed by Business Insider . [19]
In late March 2025, Careless People was number one on the New York Times bestseller list and was selling well in the United Kingdom, despite legal attempts by Meta to prevent its distribution. [6] In April 2025, the United States Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations cited the book in a probe into Meta Platforms over its attempt to enter the People's Republic of China in 2014 in what was internally called "Project Aldrin." [20]
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