Cover image from Goodreads.com

When I heard that the author wasn’t allowed to promote this novel, I immediately put it on hold at the library.

It’s a tell-all novel about the global rise of Facebook/Meta during the author’s employment there from roughly 2010 to 2017. If the information in the novel is true – and I’m in no position to be able to actually fact-check any of it – then it highlights the despicable nature of Mark Zuckerberg and the repugnance of how Facebook/Meta has used the data available to them.

The author sees how Facebook helped people in Christchurch after a natural disaster,. It connected them and helped families stay in touch and the author sees the potential this platform could have on a global scale. Getting governments on board and Facebook into their countries turns out to be a bit more difficult than she anticipates, and she seriously misjudges Zuckerberg’s intentions.

This novel lays everything bare, but what was particularly disturbing for me was how Facebook was involved in getting Trump elected in 2016. I knew about the misinformation, that became common knowledge, but I didn’t know about the targeted posts to certain Democrats; young women, white liberals who might like Bernie Sanders, and Black voters. These voters got ‘dark posts’: non-public posts only they could see. These posts were invisible to researchers or anyone looking at their feed. The idea, apparently, was to feed these people information that would discourage them from voting for Clinton. And it worked.

In addition, Facebook let China have access to data from America in exchange for having the platform available to China. Facebook also allowed China to spy on their citizens through the app.

What absolutely galls me is how much illegal activity is mentioned in the novel. The author must have kept intricate and copious notes to be able to recall all these details. But will Facebook have any blowback? Will they be held accountable? Probably not. The uber-wealthy operate on a different plane of existence compared to everyone else. Besides, it’s becoming common knowledge that the top billionaires of the world have dismantled the regulatory system so they can operate however they please.

Anyway, the novel is well-written with clear facts and an engaging narrative.