Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed on Monday that the Biden administration had "pressured" the company to censor certain content related to COVID-19 during the pandemic. Zuckerberg's statement came in a letter to the House Judiciary Committee, where he expressed regret that Meta had not been more assertive in resisting these pressures. He admitted that government officials "repeatedly pressured" Meta’s teams in 2021 to suppress specific COVID-19 content, including humour and satire, and criticized the administration for expressing frustration when Meta did not fully comply.
Zuckerberg emphasized that this government pressure was "wrong" and acknowledged that, in hindsight, the company should have been more vocal in opposing it. He also indicated that Meta would "push back" against such demands if faced with a similar situation today. This disclosure is significant because social media platforms like Meta played a pivotal role during the pandemic, with their handling of information potentially influencing public behaviour, including vaccine hesitancy.
This development also aligns with broader concerns about the balance between combating misinformation and upholding free speech. In 2021, Meta removed over 20 million pieces of content from Facebook and Instagram for violating its COVID-19 misinformation policies. The company’s stance evolved from initially allowing anti-vaccination posts to taking a harder line against them later. This shift followed mounting pressure from the administration to curb the spread of misinformation.
House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan has subpoenaed several big tech companies, alleging collusion with the Biden administration to censor free speech. The White House has not yet responded to Zuckerberg's recent claims.
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