A new memoir by a former Meta Platforms Inc. META executive reveals how Facebook’s massive campaign to promote Free Basics in India was ultimately undone by a single click.
What Happened: In "Careless People," a memoir by former Facebook executive Sarah Wynn-Williams, the author said that the social media giant’s 2016 efforts to salvage its controversial Free Basics program in India were thwarted by a "low-ranking" official at the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), according to a report by the Economic Times.
"Mark [Zuckerberg] and some of the brightest tech minds in the world devoted months to this [outreach strategy], and some low-ranking official in India outfoxed them simply by clicking an opt-out box," Wynn-Williams writes in the book.
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At the time, Facebook (now Meta) had launched a massive lobbying and public relations push to save Free Basics, a program designed to offer limited internet access for free in emerging markets.
Critics argued it violated net neutrality by giving preferential treatment to certain websites and services.
According to the memoir, Facebook used its vast platform to prompt users in India to send nearly 16 million emails to TRAI in support of Free Basics, creating what Wynn-Williams describes as "the appearance of public support."
The campaign backfired when a TRAI official—reportedly someone responsible for managing the consultation inbox—simply "opted out of all emails from Facebook," effectively shutting down the company's most aggressive lobbying tool.
With the feedback mechanism disabled, the pressure campaign lost its leverage.
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Why It's Important: The book also alleges that Facebook took extraordinary measures to exert influence, including hiring an "ex-police captain" willing to "go to jail in a clash between Facebook and the Indian government," should legal tensions escalate.
Wynn-Williams quotes former COO Sheryl Sandberg in an internal email, saying, "We're lucky this is happening in a place where we have very deep senior relationships in the government, but it's still going to be hard."
Free Basics was ultimately banned in India for violating net neutrality principles.
Meta has previously denied the claims in the book, calling them "out-of-date and previously reported."
Last week, Meta won an emergency legal ruling to block the promotion of the memoir by Wynn-Williams. The book also alleges that the company ignored sexual harassment complaints and quietly developed censorship tools for China.
Price Action: Meta’s stock ended Friday's regular session at $607.60, gaining 2.96%. However, in after-hours trading, it dipped 0.41%. So far this year, the stock has risen 1.40%, and over the past 12 months, it has surged 22.26%, according to Benzinga Pro data.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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