NEWS
Zuckerberg says Biden administration pressured Meta to censor COVID-19 content
Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg said senior officials in the Biden administration had pressured his social media company to censor COVID-19 content during the pandemic, adding that he would push back if this were to happen again.
In a letter dated Aug. 26, Zuckerberg told the judiciary committee of the U.S. House of Representatives that he regretted not speaking up about this pressure earlier, as well as some decisions the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp had made around removing certain content.
In 2021, senior officials from the Biden Administration, including the White House, repeatedly pressured our teams for months to censor certain COVID-19 content, including humor and satire, and expressed a lot of frustration with our teams when we didn’t agree,” Zuckerberg wrote in the letter, which was posted by the Committee on the Judiciary on its Facebook page.
“I believe the government pressure was wrong, and I regret we were not more outspoken about it,” he wrote. “I also think we made some choices that, with the benefit of hindsight and new information, we wouldn’t make today.”
The White House and Meta did not respond to a request for comment outside U.S. business hours.
The letter was addressed to Jim Jordan, the chairman of the committee and a Republican. In its Facebook post, the committee called the letter a “big win for free speech” and said that Zuckerberg had admitted that “Facebook censored Americans”.
In the letter, Zuckerberg also said he would not make any contributions to support electoral infrastructure in this year’s presidential election so as to “not play a role one way or another” in the November vote.
During the last election, which was held in 2020 during the pandemic, the billionaire contributed $400 million via the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, his philanthropy venture with his wife, to support election infrastructure, a move that drew criticism and lawsuits from some groups that said the move was partisan.
Travis Kelce Brother Jason Kelce Talks Holiday and Christmas Gifts for Travis & Taylor Swift as he Teases Engagement Talk on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’
Travis Kelce Reacts to Jake Paul’s Knockout, Laughs at Tyson’s Unexpected Bare Butt Incident, and Teases Interest in a Boxing match with Jake Paul
Elon Musk’s replied Travis Kelce after the NFL superstar labelled his X app ‘a toxic waste dump’ after his insensitive comment about Taylor Swift by saying—“You won’t be missed Travis, I don’t have time to banter with someone ‘riding the coattails” of her GF publicly so Bye Bye”
Professional Mixed Martial Artist and UFC superstar Francis Ngannou Shuts Down Jake Paul Fight Talk after Jake’s Victory over Mike Tyson— “Don’t Be Silly”
Breaking: Megyn Kelly calls for a boycott of Taylor Swift because the singer attended a charity event in Gaza. Taylor said: “I don’t have to explain what I do….see more
Russia President Vladimir Putin and North Korea Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un Confirm Attendance at Donald Trump’s 2025 Presidential Inauguration with the aim of reinforcing Global Alliances
Exotic Mexican Restaurant Casa Bonita Calls Out Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift, Who Recently Had a Dinner Date There, for Rude Behavior and Leaving Their Server with No Tip But Attitude and a $490 Bill: “That’s What Those Two Are.”
Pre-Game Magic: Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes Exchange Handshakes, Hugs, and Words of Friendship as Chiefs Prepare for High-Stakes Battle Against the Buffalo Bills— Always a pleasure to watch these two
The Queen is here!: Taylor Swift and Blake Lively Take Over Highmark Stadium, Rallying Behind Travis Kelce and the Chiefs Ahead of Bills Matchup
Elon Musk Officially Announce Plan to Buy ABC talk show ‘The View,’ Promising a More Free and Hate-Free Format and Pledges to Cleanse the Show by Axing “Toxic” Hosts especially Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar
A Star-Studded Exodus: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively Joins Taylor Swift and Other Top Celebrities who Threaten to Leave America After Trump’s Unforeseen Election Triumph
