Biden-Harris administration pressured Meta, $META, to censor Covid content, Zuckerberg tells House Committee
Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed that the Biden administration had pressured his company to "censor" COVID-19-related content during the pandemic. This likely refers to the White House's requests to remove misinformation about the virus and vaccines.
In an Aug. 26 letter to the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, Zuckerberg expressed regret for not speaking out earlier about this pressure and for some of the decisions he made as the head of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp concerning content removal.
In July 2021, President Joe Biden criticized social media platforms like Facebook for allowing the spread of misinformation about coronavirus vaccines, stating they were "killing people." White House officials, including former Press Secretary Jen Psaki and Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, echoed similar concerns, accusing the company of not doing enough to combat misinformation, which they argued was hindering efforts to control the pandemic and save lives.
At the time, Facebook responded by saying it was taking "aggressive steps" to address misinformation. The Biden administration eventually softened its critique, even as false claims about vaccines continued to circulate on social media.
In his letter to the Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee, Zuckerberg stated that his company felt "pressured" to censor certain content and would resist such demands in the future. He noted that in 2021, senior Biden administration officials consistently pressured Meta’s teams to remove specific COVID-19 content, including humor and satire. He described the government pressure as "wrong" and expressed regret for not being more vocal in opposition.
"I believe the government pressure was wrong, and I regret we were not more outspoken about it," Zuckerberg wrote. "I also think we made some choices that, with the benefit of hindsight and new information, we wouldn't make today."
In response, the White House defended its actions, stating that it encouraged responsible behavior to protect public health during the pandemic. The administration maintained that tech companies should be mindful of the effects of their decisions on public well-being while remaining independent in the information they choose to share.
Zuckerberg has recently been making 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 Judiciary Committee, led by Representative Jim Jordan, a close Trump ally, called Zuckerberg's letter a "big win for free speech" and stated that he had admitted Facebook "censored Americans."