Current:Home > reviewsRepublicans were right: Zuckerberg admits Biden administration censored your Facebook feed -Quantum Capital Pro
Republicans were right: Zuckerberg admits Biden administration censored your Facebook feed
View
Date:2025-04-12 10:33:24
It turns out that Republicans' concerns about the Biden administration's efforts to censor the news and information Americans see are well-founded.
In a stunning letter to the House Judiciary Committee, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote that the Biden-Harris administration pressured Facebook to censor content and then pushed harder after the company initially resisted the government's coercion.
In the letter released Monday, Zuckerberg said that "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, and expressed a lot of frustration with our teams when we didn't agree."
Zuckerberg admitted that Facebook made changes to COVID-related content and that his team is responsible for the decision to do so. He also expressed regret for succumbing to government pressure to censor content.
"I believe the government pressure was wrong," Zuckerberg wrote, "and I regret that we were not more outspoken about it. I also think we made some choices that, with the benefit of hindsight and new information, we wouldn't make today."
He said the company would react differently if it received similar pressure again: "I feel strongly that we should not compromise our content standards due to pressure from any Administration in either direction − and we're ready to push back if something like this happens again."
Biden-Harris censorship pressure reveals double standard
It's sad but not shocking that Joe Biden's White House pressured a major social media company to block Americans' access to information deemed by government censors as inappropriate. Stories about government interference with Facebook and Twitter, now known as X, have been swirling for some time.
But the fact that Zuckerberg has acknowledged years after the fact that the Biden-Harris administration repeatedly pressured the company to censor content, even jokes, during the pandemic is quite damning.
Controversial personal biometric data:A fiery Texas politician launched a legal assault on Google and Meta. And he's winning.
The First Amendment protects the right to free speech for all Americans. The Biden administration trampled on that right by using the power of government to pressure a news and information platform to block or alter what Americans were permitted to see and read.
Zuckerberg's revelation also exposes an odd double standard about the relationship the White House has with tech companies. The Biden administration has sued Apple over its supposed monopoly on cellphones, filed a lawsuit against Amazon and launched antitrust investigations into Google, Meta and Microsoft. It seems hypocritical for Biden to sue Big Tech for alleged violations and then pressure Facebook to do his bidding.
What else are Republicans right about?
When something like Zuckerberg's letter becomes public, and an idea that Democrats have long claimed is petty and false turns out to be true, I wonder if the same thing could be happening about other important issues.
How many supposedly "baseless" Republican ideas are actually rooted in truth?
Trump vs. Trump:The former president is losing a winnable election. He has no one to blame but himself.
In fact, Zuckerberg pointed to one such issue in his letter Monday.
He said the FBI warned Meta about a “potential Russian disinformation operation” before the 2020 election involving the Biden family and Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company with ties to Hunter Biden, the president's son. After the warning, Facebook demoted, or suppressed, a New York Post news article about Hunter Biden's business entanglements.
“We sent that story to fact-checkers for review and temporarily demoted it while waiting for a reply,” Zuckerberg wrote. “It’s since been made clear that the reporting was not Russian disinformation, and in retrospect, we shouldn’t have demoted the story.”
Zuckerberg said that Meta no longer demotes posts in the United States while waiting for fact-checkers to complete their work.
Now that Vice President Kamala Harris has replaced Biden on the Democratic presidential ticket, the White House's record of censorship is her record. Will she pressure social media companies in the future to remove content that makes her look bad? Will Big Tech stand up against new censorship efforts, as Zuckerberg now promises to do?
Americans have a right to know.
Nicole Russell is an opinion columnist with USA TODAY. She lives in Texas with her four kids. Sign up for her newsletter, The Right Track, and get it delivered to your inbox.
veryGood! (162)
Related
- San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo
- Dr. Berne's expands eye drop recall over possible bacterial and fungal contamination
- 2 killed when chopper crashes into apartments
- Generators can be deadly during hurricanes. Here's what to know about using them safely.
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Gabon military officers say they’re seizing power just days after the presidential election
- Saudi Arabia reportedly sentences man to death for criticizing government on social media
- Longest alligator in Mississippi history captured by hunters
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas headline captain's picks for US Ryder Cup team
Ranking
- Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
- New Mexico’s top prosecutor vows to move ahead with Native education litigation
- Election deniers rail in Wisconsin as state Senate moves toward firing top election official
- Princess Maria Chiara of Bourbon-Two Sicilies Addresses Romance Rumors With Prince Christian of Denmark
- Juan Soto praise of Mets' future a tough sight for Yankees, but World Series goal remains
- Lionel Messi, Inter Miami face Nashville SC in MLS game: How to watch
- West Virginia University recommends keeping some language classes, moving forward with axing majors
- Trump's 4 indictments in detail: A quick-look guide to charges, trial dates and key players for each case
Recommendation
At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
Princess Maria Chiara of Bourbon-Two Sicilies Addresses Romance Rumors With Prince Christian of Denmark
India closes school after video of teacher urging students to slap Muslim classmate goes viral
International ransomware network that victimized over 200,000 American computers this year taken down, FBI announces
Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
Generators can be deadly during hurricanes. Here's what to know about using them safely.
6 regions targeted in biggest drone attack on Russia since it sent troops to Ukraine, officials say
Bronny James' Coach Shares Update on His Possible Return to the Basketball Court After Hospitalization