Zuckerberg Says Biden Officials Pressured Meta to Censor True Content

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg dropped a bombshell during his appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, detailing aggressive tactics allegedly used by the Biden administration to pressure his company into censoring content—some of which was factually accurate. Zuckerberg described instances where officials from President Joe Biden’s administration allegedly “screamed” and “cursed” at Meta employees during calls about content moderation.

The revelations add to the growing controversy over the relationship between Big Tech companies and government agencies, especially concerning the suppression of COVID-19-related content.

Zuckerberg explained that Meta faced intense scrutiny after Biden publicly accused Facebook of “killing people” in 2021 by not doing enough to suppress COVID-19 misinformation. The company was inundated with pressure from federal officials, including direct calls demanding action.

“Basically, these people from the Biden Administration would call up our team and like scream at them and curse,” Zuckerberg told Rogan. “And it’s like these documents are — it’s all kind of out there.”

Zuckerberg clarified that while there might not be recordings of the calls, emails and other communications documenting these interactions had been made public. He said the administration pushed Meta to remove content it deemed problematic, even if the posts were accurate.

One specific example involved a satirical meme featuring actor Leonardo DiCaprio, humorously predicting future lawsuits over COVID-19 vaccines. “They wanted us to take down this meme … And we just said, ‘No, we’re not going to take down humor and satire. We’re not going to take down things that are true,’” Zuckerberg said.

Tensions escalated after Biden’s public criticism of Facebook, leading to investigations and pressure from various government agencies. Zuckerberg described the ordeal as a “knife fight” between Meta and the administration, as outlined in a House Judiciary Committee report from May 2023.

The company resisted some of the demands but ultimately caved to pressure on several occasions. Zuckerberg admitted in a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan in August 2023 that Meta had suppressed content it would not have otherwise removed due to repeated government pressure.

“I believe the government pressure was wrong, and I regret that we were not more outspoken about it,” Zuckerberg wrote. “With hindsight and new information, we wouldn’t make the same choices today.”

This is not the first time Zuckerberg has accused government officials of overreach. In a 2022 interview with Rogan, Zuckerberg revealed that the FBI had warned Meta about an impending “Russian propaganda” dump shortly before the New York Post’s story on Hunter Biden’s laptop was published.

“The FBI basically came to us … and said, ‘Hey, just so you know, you should be on high alert. We thought there was a lot of Russian propaganda in the 2016 election, and we’ve noticed there’s about to be some kind of dump that’s similar to that, so be vigilant,’” Zuckerberg said at the time.

While he could not confirm if the FBI specifically mentioned Hunter Biden, Zuckerberg noted that the warning aligned with the laptop story’s timing and nature.

The Biden administration’s alleged involvement in pressuring Meta to censor content has drawn sharp criticism from free speech advocates and lawmakers. Many argue that the government’s actions represent a dangerous encroachment on the First Amendment.

The House Judiciary Committee has also launched investigations into the administration’s relationship with Big Tech, with Jordan spearheading efforts to expose what he calls “government-coordinated censorship.”

Meta has since distanced itself from such practices, vowing greater independence in content moderation decisions. The company’s hiring of an ethics advisor and commitment to transparency is seen as an attempt to rebuild trust with the public.

The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment on Zuckerberg’s claims. However, previous statements from administration officials have defended their outreach to tech companies as necessary to combat misinformation during a public health crisis.

As new details emerge about the Biden administration’s alleged efforts to influence Meta’s content moderation practices, the debate over the role of government in regulating online platforms continues to intensify. Zuckerberg’s candid remarks on The Joe Rogan Experience shed light on the fraught relationship between Big Tech and the White House, raising questions about accountability, transparency, and the future of free speech in the digital age.

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Joe Messina

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