We were present while a tiny piece of history took place

June 2026

Yes, we were at the event at the Hay Literary Festival where an author was silenced on the orders of Facebook. Sara Wynn-Williams was due to speak with academic Tim Wu and journalist Carole Cadwalladr on Sunday 31 May. When Cadwalladr and the others came on stage she announced that Sarah could not speak nor make any gesture during the course of the one hour session. It has received coverage in the Guardian, Daily Telegraph and the Independent.

She said this might be a Hay first with an author in a hostage situation. Sarah had worked for Facebook and had written a book about her time there. Her book ‘Careless People‘ describes an organisation which seems to take little care on the effects it has on young people, its questionable relations with China kowtowing to their power and control, and its relations with power which we witnessed at the inauguration of President Trump.

Her book could not be sold at the event and she was not to speak. Cadwalladr read out the legal letter – a quite chilling document – which sets out in extensive detail the threats made by Facebook. She must not make any facial sign during the debate. If she breaches the order she faces legal actions which would bankrupt her.

It was extremely moving, shocking and the audience gave her a standing ovation at the end of the event. It vividly indicated for all to see the immense power the likes of Zuckerberg has to silence critics. Wu said during the debate he was astonished when Facebook was allowed to take over competing platforms like Instagram thus consolidating his power and control.

It shows once again how a narrow group of strange – not to say weird -individuals like Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and other techbros, is able to control debate and silence criticism by using their financial wealth. The acronym SLAPP was not mentioned and I’m not sure if this is an example. Whatever, the effect is the same: the legal process is used to silence free speech, to assist the powerful in their relentless quest to silence criticism and to allow the law to be used as a means of coercion.

Currently, parents are becoming increasingly concerned about the effects of what’s on these platforms on their offspring. Suicide, body shaming, depression and other bad things are a massive problem and the tech platforms are seemingly unwilling to do much other than offer lip service. Governments are being pressed to do something and the government is considering legislation. It’s doubtful that anything much will be done however, such is the power of these techbros. They are all based in the US and we do not have jurisdiction. They and their army of lobbyists will water any legislation down to make it all but ineffective.

Wu made the perceptive comment that it was ‘an irony for a former colonial power becoming itself colonised’.

It will be interesting to see how this story develops if at all. Will the UK government insist that we have free speech or will it simply roll over and allow the likes of Zuckerberg and Meta to crush anyone daring to criticise his platform?

Peter Curbishley