Mark Zuckerberg, in a letter posted by the Judiciary Committee on Facebook, revealed that in 2021, senior officials from the Biden Administration, including the White House, pressured Facebook for months to censor specific COVID-19 content, including humor and satire. He admitted that while his team faced frustration from the administration when they didn’t comply, he now regrets not being more outspoken against the pressure.
Zuckerberg also expressed that some decisions made at the time would not be repeated with the benefit of hindsight. The White House responded, stating that it encouraged responsible actions to protect public health during the pandemic, emphasizing the need for tech companies to consider the impact of their decisions on the American public.
In his letter, Zuckerberg announced that he would not contribute to electoral infrastructure for the upcoming presidential election, a shift from his $400 million contribution during the 2020 election through the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, which had drawn criticism for perceived partisanship. The Judiciary Committee, led by Trump ally Representative Jim Jordan, hailed the letter as a “big win for free speech,” asserting that it confirmed Facebook’s censorship of Americans.
