I have just been reading Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams. It is a powerful insider whistle blower exposé of Facebook, Meta, Zuckerberg, and the whole evil empire that goes with that. I strongly recommend it for everyone who does and does not use Facebook and other Meta products. 

The book reveals a surprising amount of personal detail about some of the characters who run Facebook, but for me the most important takeaway is how much influence unelected and largely unknown tech executives have in determining government policies that affect how the rest of us live. Also, how much they aid censorship and authoritarianism in countries like China (and how eager they are to do it). The saying money rules is truer than ever. 

Another thread is just how silly and uninformed the people who control us can be as they weave through drunken parties and airborne intimacies. Like the Facebook person responsible for Taiwan not even realising Taiwan is an island! 

Unfortunately the author is not immune to that either. She claims in passing that Buzz Aldrin made the first manned landing on the moon. But that seems to also be what Facebook thinks, since that is the reason she cites for the campaign to "land" in China being named after him. After reading the book, that level of ignorance doesn't surprise me at all.   

Some Facebook spokespeople have been quick to jump on claimed inaccuracies though they don't seem to mention this one, but overall I find her book convincing even if there may be minor discrepancies of fact. It has a very strong ring of truth to it. The amount of detail is impressive. If even a small portion of it is true, and there is no reason to think otherwise, then the world is in even bigger trouble than you might think. I find it revealing that Facebook has pulled out all the stops to silence Wynn-Williams, but they have used her employment non-disclosure agreement for this, not any claims about inaccuracy or libel. As a result, she is under an extremely strict legal muzzle that prevents her from saying anything at all about Facebook, even in private, or promoting her book in any way. If you have not heard of it, this might be the reason.

Fortunately, the Streisand Effect is in full force and her book has made best seller lists everywhere. I strongly feel everyone should read it. I don't use Facebook and never have and I am obviously not a fan. But even those who are - and of course there are good things about it - should know what they are really part of. Facebook does provide a valuable service but it should not be the only one doing this. It needs competition. The alternative is an oligarchy of the super rich running things in the background. That is what we currently have. If you don't like this thought, buy and read her book. At least read it.