Mark Zuckerberg admits error in censoring content about COVID-19 at the request of the White House
Last weekend, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was arrested in Paris. This case caused a great resonance, as Telegram is considered an important platform for freedom of speech. In response, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg sent a letter to Congressman Jim Jordan expressing his stance on similar issues.
Here's What We Know
Zuckerberg said in the letter that the Biden administration pressured his company to censor certain content related to COVID-19. He noted that the White House repeatedly pushed for the removal of content, including humour and satire, which caused resentment among Meta employees. Zuckerberg acknowledged that Meta was wrong to give in to these demands and regretted that the company was not more forceful in asserting its position.
Mark Zuckerberg just admitted three things:
- House Judiciary GOP ???????????????????????? (@JudiciaryGOP) August 26, 2024
1. Biden-Harris Admin "pressured" Facebook to censor Americans.
2. Facebook censored Americans.
3. Facebook throttled the Hunter Biden laptop story.
Big win for free speech. pic.twitter.com/ALlbZd9l6K
Mark emphasised that despite the pressure, it was the company itself that made the final decision to censor content. Zuckerberg also noted that with new data and experience, Meta would not make such decisions today. He emphasised that government pressure was wrong and that mixing public health with ideology could make it harder to fight future pandemics.
Source: @JudiciaryGOP
