Zuckerberg Reveals Biden’s Pressure on Meta to Censor COVID-19 Content, Admits Moderation Mistakes

• Aug 27, 2024

Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, addressed the company's controversial role in moderating COVID-19-related content during the pandemic in a statement released on Monday, August 26, 2024. This statement is part of Meta’s ongoing cooperation with a congressional investigation into its content moderation practices on online platforms.

In his statement, Zuckerberg acknowledged the interest of the investigating committee in Meta’s actions during the pandemic. He revealed that in 2021, senior officials from the Biden administration, including those from the White House, pressured Meta for months to censor certain COVID-19 content, including humor and satire. “I believe the government pressure was wrong, and I regret that we were not more outspoken about it,” Zuckerberg stated. He added that, with the benefit of hindsight and new information, Meta might have made different choices.

Zuckerberg emphasized that Meta should not compromise its content standards due to pressure from any administration. “We’re ready to push back if something like this happens again,” he said, underscoring the company’s commitment to maintaining its content policies independently. Despite this stance, the pressure led to significant frustration within Meta when the company did not comply with all the administration's demands.

Addressing the company's responsibility, Zuckerberg maintained that Meta’s decisions during this period were its own and that the company takes full responsibility for the content moderation changes implemented. He stressed that Meta remains dedicated to making independent decisions regarding its content policies.

Additionally, Zuckerberg addressed a separate incident related to the 2020 U.S. presidential election. He explained that the FBI had warned Meta about a potential Russian disinformation campaign targeting the Biden family and Burisma. Consequently, when the New York Post published a story alleging corruption involving then-Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s family, Meta sent the story to fact-checkers and temporarily demoted it while waiting for verification.

Zuckerberg admitted that this decision was a mistake, as the story was not part of a Russian disinformation campaign. “It’s since been made clear that the reporting was not Russian disinformation, and in retrospect, we shouldn’t have demoted the story,” he acknowledged. In response to this error, Meta has revised its policies to prevent similar incidents, including a decision not to demote content in the U.S. while waiting for fact-checker responses.

Zuckerberg's statement marks a significant moment in Meta's efforts to navigate the complex landscape of content moderation, government pressure, and internal policies. As Meta continues to work with congressional investigators, the company is poised to implement further changes to ensure more transparent and independent content moderation practices in the future.