Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged that Facebook faced pressure from the Biden-Harris administration to censor Americans. The focus was particularly on COVID-19 content.
In a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, Zuckerberg admitted this. The letter came over a year after Meta provided thousands of documents for an investigation into content moderation.
Meta also made a dozen employees available for interviews. Zuckerberg emphasized Meta’s cooperation with the investigation.
"There’s a lot of talk about how the U.S. government interacts with companies like Meta," Zuckerberg wrote. "Our platforms are for everyone. We aim to promote speech and help people connect safely. We regularly hear from governments with concerns about public discourse and safety."
He revealed that in 2021, "senior officials" from the Biden administration pressured Meta to censor certain COVID-19 content. This included humor and satire.
Facebook’s refusal to comply fully with these demands led to frustration from the administration. Zuckerberg stated, "Ultimately, it was our decision whether or not to take content down. I believe the government pressure was wrong."
Zuckerberg admitted that some decisions made under pressure might not have been the best. "We should not compromise our content standards due to pressure from any Administration," he added.
A White House spokesperson responded, stating the administration encouraged actions to protect public health during the pandemic. They insisted that tech companies should consider the effects of their actions.
Facebook declined to comment further beyond the letter’s text.
The committee first subpoenaed Meta on Feb. 15, 2023. They sought documents and information on content moderation and Meta’s interactions with the executive branch regarding censorship.
The investigation aimed to determine if the executive branch pressured private companies to stifle speech. Such actions could potentially violate the First Amendment.
Zuckerberg also addressed the Hunter Biden laptop story in his letter. He mentioned the FBI’s warning about "a potential Russian disinformation operation" before the 2020 election.
He explained that Meta temporarily demoted the story, pending fact-checking. "It’s since been made clear that the reporting was not Russian disinformation," Zuckerberg wrote. Meta has since changed its policies to avoid similar mistakes in the future.