Written By Lisa Murimi
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has expressed regret for bowing to pressure from the Biden administration to “censor” content on Facebook and Instagram during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a letter to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, Zuckerberg revealed that senior officials, including those from the White House, pressured Meta in 2021 to remove certain COVID-19 content, including satire.
Zuckerberg admitted that Meta made decisions it wouldn’t make today with hindsight, stating, “I believe the government pressure was wrong, and I regret that we were not more outspoken about it.”
He emphasized that Meta would “push back” if similar circumstances arise in the future.
The White House defended its actions, maintaining that its encouragement of content moderation was intended to protect public health and safety.
Zuckerberg also addressed the controversy surrounding content related to Hunter Biden ahead of the 2020 election. Meta had briefly “demoted” stories about Biden’s son after the FBI warned of potential Russian disinformation.
Zuckerberg acknowledged that the content did not turn out to be part of such an operation and stated, “In retrospect, we shouldn’t have demoted the story.”
The letter is seen by Republicans as a “big win for free speech,” highlighting ongoing debates over content moderation on social media platforms.
