Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg has revealed that the Biden administration has put pressure on the company to censor COVID-19-related content during the pandemic.
Zuckerberg expressed regret over not speaking out sooner about the administration’s demands, which he described as efforts to “censor” content related to the pandemic, including humor and satire.
In July 2021, President Joe Biden criticized social media platforms like Facebook, accusing them of “killing people” by allowing misinformation about coronavirus vaccines to circulate. Former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki and Surgeon General Vivek Murthy echoed these sentiments, saying that Facebook’s handling of misinformation hindered efforts to combat the pandemic and save lives. At that time, Facebook responded by stating that it was taking “aggressive steps” to address the spread of false information.
Zuckerberg’s letter to the Republican-led Judiciary Committee on August 26 stated that his company was under significant pressure from senior officials within the Biden administration to censor certain content. “I believe the government pressure was wrong, and I regret we were not more outspoken about it,” Zuckerberg wrote, reflecting on the situation.
He also mentioned that, in hindsight, some decisions made by his company might have been different with the information available today.
The White House, in response, maintained that its position had been consistent, encouraging responsible actions to protect public health during the pandemic. A spokesperson said that while the administration advocated for caution, it believed that tech companies should make independent choices regarding the information they present to the public.
Zuckerberg has recently made efforts to appeal to conservative audiences, praising Republican nominee Donald Trump’s reaction to an assassination attempt as “badass” and appearing on right-wing podcasts. The chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Representative Jim Jordan, who is a strong ally of Trump, shared the letter on Facebook, calling it a “big win for free speech” and noting Zuckerberg’s admission that “Facebook censored Americans.”
In his letter, Zuckerberg also stated that he would refrain from contributing to support electoral infrastructure in the upcoming presidential election, citing a desire to avoid influencing the outcome in any way.
This is in contrast to his actions during the 2020 election, where he contributed $400 million through the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to support election infrastructure—a move that faced criticism and legal challenges from some groups.