TNB Tech Minute: Meta Battles to Block an Executive’s Tell-All
WSJ Tech News Briefing
Deep Dive
Shownotes Transcript
At KPMG, we make the difference by creating value, like developing strategic insights that help drive M&A success or embedding AI solutions into your business to sustain competitive advantage. KPMG, make the difference. Learn more at www.kpmg.us slash insights. Here's your TNB Tech Minute for Thursday, March 13th. I'm Shara Tipkin for The Wall Street Journal.
Meta is fighting to prevent its former public policy chief from promoting her tell-all book.
Sarah Wynn Williams signed a non-disparagement agreement when she left the company in 2017. But she wrote a book called Careless People, a cautionary tale of power, greed, and lost idealism, which details Mark Zuckerberg's efforts in China. It also makes harassment claims against other Meta executives. An arbitrator yesterday sided with Meta and said Wynn Williams can't promote her book. But her publisher said it's standing by her and will promote the title.
Meta spokesman Andy Stone wrote on threads that, quote, this ruling affirms that Sarah Wynne Williams' false and defamatory book should never have been published. A representative for Wynne Williams didn't have an immediate comment.
In other meta news, the company will start testing its new community notes fact-checking tool next week. People who are over the age of 18 and have been on Facebook, Instagram, or Threads for more than six months and are in good standing can sign up to be a contributor. Those contributors will be able to add notes to posts.
If a post gets enough notes, Meta will show a public community fact check on it. Community notes mark Meta's shift to having users police content on its platforms instead of the company moderating posts.
And online marketplaces are mimicking social media to help boost sales. Companies like eBay and Etsy are copying tactics used by Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest. One focus is algorithm-based personalization to keep users scrolling and help them find new products to buy.
Such algorithms have contributed to a boom in social media shopping. eBay and Etsy see this as a way to stay relevant following three years of weak growth. For a deeper dive into what's happening in tech, check out tomorrow's Tech News Briefing podcast.