Zuckerberg regrets not being vocal against Biden admin pressure on COVID content censorship

New Delhi: In a recent letter to the US Congress, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has accused the Biden administration of exerting significant pressure on Meta to censor certain content on its platforms during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the letter addressed to the US House of Representatives, Zuckerberg claimed that in 2021, senior officials, including those from the White House, repeatedly pressed Meta to remove specific COVID-19-related content, including humour and satire.

He expressed regret for not being more vocal against this pressure, acknowledging that while the decision to remove content ultimately rested with Meta, the company’s response to the pressure was a mistake.

Zuckerberg stated, "We should not compromise our content standards due to pressure from any administration. We’re prepared to push back if such pressure occurs again."

He also reflected on an FBI warning about a possible Russian disinformation campaign targeting the Biden family and Burisma during the 2020 election. Following a New York Post story on alleged corruption involving then-presidential nominee Joe Biden’s family, Meta had temporarily demoted the story pending fact-checker reviews. Zuckerberg admitted that this action was misguided and that the company’s policies have since been revised to prevent similar occurrences in the future.

Reaffirming his commitment to electoral integrity, Zuckerberg emphasized that his efforts to strengthen election infrastructure are designed to be non-partisan. He stated, "I know some believe this work has favoured one party over another. My aim is to remain neutral and avoid any perception of bias, which is why I do not plan to make similar contributions in this election cycle."