Meta, the tech giant behind Facebook and Instagram, has found itself at the center of ethical scrutiny as South Wairarapa councillor Rebecca Gray led calls for the council to stop using its platforms. During a recent council meeting, Gray, who identifies as part of the LGBTTQIA+ community, raised concerns over the potential harm Meta can cause to specific communities.
Gray suggested the council should withdraw from using Facebook and Instagram immediately. She expressed apprehension over Meta's track record with regard to hate speech and misinformation, stating, "We need to have the ability to make a conscious decision about what we want to support as a council and what we don’t want to support." Rather than just communicating with the platforms available, she urged the development of a Digital Communications and Data Integrity policy as part of the council's response.
Discussions at the council meeting revealed diverging opinions on the issue. Councillor Alistair Plimmer supported Gray's concerns but emphasized the importance of Facebook for emergency communications. “When we are providing emergency information — and to me, that's really the only reason we need to be on Facebook — we need to be on systems people are using,” he stated. Mayor Martin Connelly also weighed in, noting the ethical dilemma of associational harm. "If you go back 80 years and it turned out a really good way to communicate with people was through a fascist mailout, we would not want to be associated with it," he argued.
Support for Gray's motion included Councillor Kaye McAulay, who acknowledged the necessity of communicating through platforms where ratepayers are active. But others, like Councillor Pip Maynard, indicated withdrawal from Meta was impractical, particularly with the council’s 7000 Facebook followers and overlapping consultations. A council staff member pointed out the development of internal policy already underway.
Highlighting the broader picture, Greytown-based digital communications specialist Seamus Boyer pointed out the positive impacts of social media, stressing how platforms can amplify minority voices and connect people. "Walking away from Meta wouldn’t stop hate and disinformation," he said, cautioning against the timing of pulling out of Meta just before local elections.
Meanwhile, the light-hearted news from the world of tech companies also makes headlines. Sarah Wynn-Williams, former global director of public policy at Meta, has stirred discussions with her grievances about the company, especially as detailed in her memoir, "Careless People." Wynn-Williams's new book, which Meta is actively trying to suppress, alleges the company hired an ex-police captain to potentially manage legal issues should its executives face undue pressure from Indian authorities.
This claim circulated as part of Wynn-Williams's narrative on her experiences and observations during her tenure at the company, particularly how it navigated various public policy challenges globally. Despite Meta's attempts to halt the publication of her memoir through U.S. arbitration hearings, it remains available for purchase, particularly within India.
According to Wynn-Williams, who hadn't worked with the firm for almost eight years after her exit due to alleged poor performance and misconduct, Facebook's leadership was quoted as saying: "The situation’s so bad, Facebook’s leadership hires an ex–police captain who’s been give some boring, official-sounding title but is understood by...the policy team to be someone who would be able to handle an arrest situation well.”
Further, the memoir touches on operational policies, including Facebook's Free Basics initiative, aimed at providing limited internet access to low-income users—a program later prohibited for violating net neutrality principles. During the strategic push for the initiative, Facebook resorted to mobilizing Indian users to send automation-triggered emails to regulatory authorities, yielding massive response numbers but initially faltering as only 1.4 million comments counted on the submissions.
At the council meeting, as local governmental bodies grapple with their association with digital platforms, these issues connect on multiple levels: the pursuit of ethical communication channels and the struggle to navigate the digital sphere responsibly. The South Wairarapa council's deliberations reflect wider societal debates about accountability and the influence of major tech companies on community engagement and integrity.
Should the council withdraw from Meta, the decision would resonate beyond South Wairarapa. It bears potential consequences for local governance and their digital engagement strategies, especially as communities continue to navigate the nuances between effective communication and ethical responsibility. Meanwhile, as Wynn-Williams's accusations against Meta remain unchallenged by the company, the public continues to ponder the larger ramifications of engaging with such influential social platforms — both locally and globally.