Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has publicly expressed regret for capitulating to the Biden-Harris administration’s pressure to censor COVID-19 content on his platform in 2021. The admission emerged from a letter Zuckerberg sent to House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, which Jordan shared on social media.
In the letter, Zuckerberg disclosed that the White House had exerted significant pressure on Meta to remove a variety of coronavirus-related content, including satire and humorous posts. This pressure led to substantial internal frustration within the company. Jordan, who posted screenshots of the letter on X (formerly Twitter), highlighted Zuckerberg’s regret over the situation.
Zuckerberg’s letter emphasized his company’s commitment to promoting free speech and ensuring safe interactions on its platforms. He acknowledged that the government’s influence on content moderation was problematic and expressed regret for not opposing it more strongly at the time. “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 those choices today.”
The letter’s revelations come amid ongoing scrutiny of government interactions with tech companies. The Biden-Harris administration has not yet responded to the new disclosures.