Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg admitted on Monday that Facebook was pressured by the Biden-Harris administration during Covid. In response, former President Donald Trump revived his claim that the 2020 election was rigged, calling the revelation what "everyone has been waiting for."
Zuckerberg made the admission in a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, more than a year after providing thousands of documents for the investigation into content moderation on online platforms. He revealed that senior officials from the Biden administration and the White House pressured Facebook teams for months to censor certain Covid-19 content, including humour and satire.
"Ultimately, it was our decision whether or not to take content down, and we own our decisions, including COVID-19-related changes we made to our enforcement in the wake of this pressure," Zuckerberg wrote. "I believe the government pressure was wrong, and I regret that we were not more outspoken about it."
"I also think we made some choices that, with the benefit of hindsight and new information, we wouldn’t make today," he added. "Like I said to our teams at the time, I feel strongly that we should not compromise our content standards due to pressure from any administration in either direction – and we’re ready to push back if something like this happens."
Response from the White House
According to NBC, in response to Zuckerberg's admission, the White House said, "When confronted with a deadly pandemic, this Administration encouraged responsible actions to protect public health and safety. Our position has been clear and consistent: we believe tech companies and other private actors should take into account the effects their actions have on the American people, while making independent choices about the information they present."
Habba Targets Harris
Trump's advisor Alina Habba targeted Kamala Harris, stating that as part of the administration, she also bears responsibility for the censorship. She posted on Truth Social, "This is exactly what this administration (WHICH INCLUDES KAMALA) has done to our country. Censorship is what happens in communist countries, not this republic. They have gagged my client, his lawyers in and out of courtrooms, and his team. Now, we once again have proof that they are gagging our media and censoring America. Kamala is hiding because she can’t answer for her actions. Still have doubts? TRUMP 2024 Make America Free Again."
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
