NAIROBI, Kenya- Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is making headlines again, this time for his candid remarks about government pressure and content moderation on his social media platforms during the pandemic.
In a letter submitted to a US congressional committee, Zuckerberg criticized the Biden administration’s attempts to influence content removal on Facebook in 2021.
As the 2024 US presidential election looms, Zuckerberg is taking a firm stance on maintaining neutrality and resisting any future government pressure.
In his letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, Zuckerberg addressed the controversies surrounding his platforms’ content moderation practices.
He revealed that in 2021, the Biden administration “repeatedly pressured our teams for months to censor certain COVID-19 content, including humor and satire.”
Zuckerberg expressed regret for not being more outspoken against these demands at the time, stating, “I believe the government pressure was wrong, and I regret that we were not more outspoken about it.”
He emphasized that Meta should not compromise its content standards under pressure from any administration, pledging to push back if such a situation arises again.
This declaration has been celebrated by Republicans, who have long accused social media companies of suppressing conservative views.
The House Judiciary Committee’s social media account hailed Zuckerberg’s letter as a “big win for free speech,” underscoring the ongoing tension between tech companies and political forces.
Zuckerberg also addressed the controversy over his previous financial support for US election infrastructure.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he donated funds to non-profits working on election administration, a move that was sharply criticized by Republicans who saw it as partisan.
In his letter, Zuckerberg made it clear that he would not repeat such efforts ahead of the upcoming presidential election.
“My goal is to be neutral and not play a role one way or another—or to even appear to be playing a role,” he wrote. This decision reflects Zuckerberg’s intent to distance Meta from any perception of political bias as the 2024 election approaches .
Zuckerberg’s letter also touched on Facebook’s handling of the controversial New York Post story about President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter.
The story was temporarily demoted on the platform while Facebook fact-checkers investigated whether it was part of a “potential Russian disinformation operation.”
Ultimately, the story was found not to be linked to such an operation. Zuckerberg acknowledged this misstep and noted that Facebook has since changed its policy to prevent posts in the United States from being demoted while they are under review by fact-checkers.
