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.
Lawmakers Introduce Sweeping Proposal to Treat Any Interference With ICE as Treason, Potentially Transforming Protests and Civil Disobedience Into the Most Serious Federal Crime in the Nation After Donald Trump’s Remark
Union Rallies Behind Michigan Ford Plant Employee Suspended After Shouting ‘Pedophile Protector’ at Donald Trump, Announces Legal Team Will Explore Lawsuit Against Both Employer and President for Alleged Free Speech Violations and Improper Political Interference in his Suspension
Congressional Committees Announces $2,000 Tariff Dividend Funding Was Approved in December, Criticizes Donald Trump Administration for Causing Confusion and Delays in Delivering Payments to the Public
Donald Trump Issues Strong Warning to Governors and Legislatures — Threatens To Cut Funding to States Interfering With ICE Detentions, Arrests, and Information Sharing
Congressional Oversight Panel Subpoenas Melania Trump, Call Her to testify, under oath, before Congress regarding what she knows about Epstein and Donald Trump
Donald Trump Declares Plan to Sue Michigan Ford Plant Employee for Defamation Claims for shouting “Pedophile Protector” During Factory Tour, After the Worker Receives Suspension From Company Officials
President Trump Reaffirms Full Support for ICE Personnel Amid Growing Protests and Minnesota Government Lawsuit Challenging Federal Immigration Enforcement Policies and His Administration
Supreme Court Hits Donald Trump Tariffs as Illegal and Unconstitutional Overreach, Compelling Immediate Refunds While Democrats Demand Further Investigations and Republicans Cry Foul
Supreme Court’s Intervention in Red State Transgender Athlete Bans Sets Up Major Showdown Between Republican Legislatures Prioritizing “Fairness in Sports” and Federal Agencies Emphasizing Civil Rights Compliance Under Title IX
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Spotted Arriving Together for a Low-Key Date Night in Beverly Hills After Golden Globes Glam
Supreme Court Issues Emergency Injunction Temporarily Restricting Key ICE Enforcement Actions in Minnesota as Legal Challenges Move Forward After State Files Lawsuit Alleging Constitutional Violations, ICE killing and Unlawful Use of Force Under the Donald Trump Administration.
