Aug 27, 2024 08:35 AM IST
Mark Zuckerberg claimed US government pressure led Facebook to censor Covid-19 content, a decision he now regrets.
Mark Zuckerberg alleged that Facebook was “pressured” by the US government to censor content related to Covid-19 during the global pandemic. The tech billionaire said that he regrets the company’s decision to act on the demands. He said, “In 2021, senior officials from the Biden Administration, including the White House, repeatedly pressured our teams for months to censor certain COVID-19 content, including humor and satire”.
The remarks are part of a letter written by Mark Zuckerberg- the contents of which were posted to the Facebook page of the House Judiciary Committee and confirmed by Meta. He was writing in reference to contributions made in the last US presidential cycle to support electoral infrastructure.
Even though it was Meta’s decision to remove content, Mark Zuckerberg said that “the government pressure was wrong, and I regret that we were not more outspoken about it.”
At the time, Facebook drew flak from those who criticised lockdowns, vaccines and mask mandates as the platform removed certain posts, saying they contained misinformation related to the pandemic or went against its policies. Facebook took down more than 20 million pieces of content in just over a year.
Mark Zuckerberg also talked about the upcoming US elections and said, “My goal is to be neutral and not play a role one way or another — or to even appear to be playing a role.”