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Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg says senior Biden administration officials pressured Facebook to “censor” some COVID-19 content during the pandemic and vowed that the social media giant would push back if it faced such demands again.
In a letter to the Republican chair of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jim Jordan, Zuckerberg alleged that White House officials “repeatedly pressured” Facebook for months to take down “certain COVID-19 content including humor and satire,” and “expressed a lot of frustration” when the company didn’t agree. In the letter dated Aug. 26 and posted on the committee’s Facebook page and X account: “I believe the government pressure was wrong and I regret that we were not more outspoken about it .. I also think we made some choices that, with the benefit of hindsight and new information, we wouldn’t make today. We’re ready to push back if something like this happens again.”
The White House responded in a statement that, “When confronted with a deadly pandemic, this Administration encouraged responsible actions to protect public health and safety. Our position has been clear and consistent: we believe tech companies and other private actors should take into account the effects their actions have on the American people, while making independent choices about the information they present.”
In early 2021, Facebook appended what Zuckerberg called labels with “credible information” to posts about COVID-19 vaccines. Originally, in April 2020 – when the virus had led to global shutdowns and other pandemic restrictions — Facebook had warned users about sharing misinformation about COVID-19.
Zuckerberg also said he would no longer donate money to widen election access for voters through the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the company that runs the philanthropy for him and his wife, Priscilla Chan. The couple previously donated $400 million to help local election offices prepare for voters in the 2020 presidential election. Said Zuckerberg: “I know that some people believe this work benefited one party over the other .. My goal is to be neutral and not play a role one way or another – or to even appear to be playing a role. So I don’t plan on making a similar contribution this cycle.”
Editorial credit: Frederic Legrand – COMEO / Shutterstock.com
