CEO Mark Zuckerberg Admits Biden Admin Pressured Meta to Censor Content
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has revealed that Facebook faced repeated pressure from the Biden Administration to censor certain COVID-19 content, particularly satire and humor. In a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, Zuckerberg admitted that the White House pushed the platform to remove posts related to the pandemic in 2021. Despite the pressure, Zuckerberg stated that the final decisions on content moderation rested with Facebook. He expressed regret over not being more vocal in resisting government demands, saying, “I believe the government pressure was wrong.”
Zuckerberg’s letter is part of Meta’s broader cooperation with the committee’s investigation into government influence on online content moderation. The company has turned over thousands of documents and made employees available for interviews as part of the probe. The committee has been examining whether the U.S. Executive Branch potentially violated the First Amendment by collaborating with private companies to suppress speech.
Zuckerberg also referenced a separate incident involving the 2020 election, where the FBI warned Facebook of a possible Russian disinformation campaign related to the Biden family. As a result, a New York Post story about Biden’s family was initially demoted while awaiting fact-checking, which Zuckerberg now admits was a mistake. “It’s since been made clear that the reporting was not Russian disinformation,” he wrote, pledging that Meta has revised its policies to prevent similar actions in the future.
The White House responded to the claims by defending its role in promoting responsible actions to protect public health during the pandemic, while emphasizing that tech companies ultimately make independent decisions.
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