Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has accused the Biden administration of pressuring the social media giant to censor certain COVID-19 content during the pandemic, including humor and satire. In a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, Zuckerberg expressed regret over not being more outspoken about the government's influence on content moderation. Zuckerberg wrote that senior Biden officials had "repeatedly pressured" Meta's team for months to limit or remove specific COVID-19-related content. He described the government's pressure as "wrong" and emphasized Meta's commitment to remaining politically "neutral" in the upcoming election cycle. "We're ready to push back if something like this happens again," he added. In the letter, Zuckerberg also announced that he would not contribute to electoral infrastructure support through the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative this cycle. His previous donations, totaling over $400 million, were intended to aid local election jurisdictions during the pandemic but were criticized as potentially benefiting one party over another. "My goal is to be neutral and not play a role one way or another," Zuckerberg stated. This revelation from Zuckerberg comes amid a broader debate over the balance between free speech and online safety, highlighted by recent controversies including the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France for alleged moderation failures and ongoing criticism from former President Donald Trump. Trump has previously accused social media platforms of censoring right-wing voices and warned of severe consequences if re-elected. The White House has not yet responded to Zuckerberg's accusations. Jordan, leading a congressional investigation, has been examining allegations of collusion between the Biden administration, disinformation researchers, and social media platforms to suppress certain viewpoints. Zuckerberg also criticized Meta's decision to temporarily "demote" a New York Post story about Hunter Biden's laptop before the 2020 election, following an FBI warning about a potential Russian disinformation campaign. He noted that the story did not turn out to be disinformation, reflecting on the company's past moderation decisions. — Agencies
