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.
JUST IN: The Ultimate Betrayal: After Hailey Bieber Denies Marital Crisis, Justin Bieber Not Only Unfollows Her on Instagram but Is Spotted in a Passionate Limousine Kiss with an Enigmatic Brunette – Is This the Final Nail in the Coffin for Their Love Story?
Scandal in Rio: Justin Bieber Caught Leaning in for a Kiss With Mystery Brunette who’s not his wife Hailey Bieber in the Back of His Limo After a Wild Night Out
BREAKING: “Outrage Erupts on X, the Platform Elon Musk Owns, as His Hand Gesture at U.S. President Donald Trump’s Rally is Slammed as a Chilling Echo of NAZI SALUTES With Many Accusations of FACIST SYMPATHIES
BREAKING: A New Dawn for America, President Donald Trump Proclaims: “Golden Age Begins Today And Everyone Will be Part of it” -Jokingly states that Celebrities Like Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Who Wants to Leave America because I won Should “Pack Their Bags and Join the Next Flight”
JUST IN: INAUGURATION 2025 — Taylor Swift, Once a Vocal Critic of Donald Trump, Makes a Startling Appearance at His Inauguration Alongside Travis Kelce, Fueling Speculation of a Secretive Political Maneuver
JUST IN: Tears, Joy, and Royal Bonds— King Charles’ First Encounter with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet Since Queen Elizabeth Golden Jubilee
Pop Icon Taylor Swift, Backed by NFL star Travis Kelce, Launches Scathing Attack on President Donald Trump’s TikTok Revive Credit Claim, Accusing Him and the App of “PR Stunt and Orchestrating the Most Outrageous Political Puppet Show in History”
JUST IN: ‘Preposterous’ and ‘Pathetic’— ‘It Ends With Us’ Star Justin Baldoni’s Lawyer Tears Into Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively’s ‘Desperate, Delusional’ $400M Lawsuit Alleging Abusive Tactics, Calling Out ‘Abuser Playbook’ Accusations as ‘Farcical Defamation’
JUST IN: Travis Kelce Leaps to Defend Taylor Swift After WNBA Star Caitlin Clark Labels Her Hugs ‘Invasive’ at Chiefs Playoff Clash: ‘Too Much Attention, Too Many Hugs,’ Clark Cries Out! Travis Defends Her, Stating, ‘Taylor Is That Way to Everyone; She’s So Sweet’
A Touchdown of Affection: Travis Kelce, the Gridiron Romeo, Proving that he’s the number one ‘Swiftie’ Captivates Fans with an Enchanting Nod to Taylor Swift in Chiefs’ Playoff Triumph Over Houston Texans
Taylor Swift and Her Entire Family, Austin, Andrea and Scott Swift Join Jason Kelce, Kylie, Donna Kelce and Papa Kelce (Ed Kelce) in Arrowhead VIP Box, Cheering on Travis Kelce and Kansas City Chiefs in a Thrilling Chiefs Playoff Against the Texans”
