In a letter to the US House Judiciary Committee, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, has accused the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris administration of “repeatedly pressuring” his company to censor posts related to COVID-19. The letter, shared by the Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee on X (formerly Twitter), alleges that senior officials from the White House and the Biden administration lobbied Meta for months to suppress certain COVID-19 content, including humorous and satirical posts. Zuckerberg states that these officials expressed their displeasure when Meta didn’t comply with their demands.
Despite the pressure, Zuckerberg emphasizes that the final decision to censor content rested with Meta. He acknowledges that the company made certain decisions regarding COVID-19 content in response to the pressure, but regrets not being more vocal against it. He claims that the pressure was wrong and that some of the decisions made at the time would not be repeated today with hindsight and new information.
In addition to the allegations of pressure regarding COVID-19 content, Zuckerberg details another incident involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He claims the FBI warned Meta about a potential Russian disinformation campaign targeting the Biden family and Burisma in the lead-up to the 2020 US presidential elections. This warning, according to Zuckerberg, prompted Meta to demote a story published by the New York Post regarding corruption allegations against then-presidential candidate Joe Biden’s family.
Zuckerberg now acknowledges that this decision was a mistake, stating that it has since been confirmed that the reporting wasn’t linked to Russian disinformation.
The release of this letter has sparked controversy, with Republicans highlighting it as a victory for free speech. They argue that it proves the Biden administration attempted to influence social media platforms to censor information deemed unfavorable to them. Democrats, however, have yet to respond to the allegations.
