**08/26/2024 11:57 PM EDT**
Mark Zuckerberg has expressed regret over Meta's compliance with pressure from the Biden administration to censor content, describing the interference as “wrong” in a letter to the House Judiciary Committee. Zuckerberg pledged to resist similar pressures in the future.
In his letter, Zuckerberg detailed how senior administration officials pressured Meta to censor certain posts about Covid-19, including humor and satire, and expressed frustration when the platform initially resisted.
“I believe the government pressure was wrong, and I regret that we were not more outspoken about it,” Zuckerberg wrote. “I strongly believe we should not compromise our content standards due to pressure from any administration, and we are prepared to push back if this happens again.”
Zuckerberg also expressed regret over Meta's decision to downplay a New York Post story about Hunter Biden ahead of the 2020 election, which the FBI had suggested might be tied to 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.
Republicans on the committee, led by Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, hailed the letter as a “big win for free speech” in a series of posts on X.
In response, the White House defended its approach to Covid-19 information. “When confronted with a deadly pandemic, this Administration encouraged responsible actions to protect public health and safety,” the statement read. “Our position has been clear and consistent: we believe tech companies and other private actors should consider the impact of their actions on the American people while making independent decisions about the information they present.”
The letter marks the latest chapter in a prolonged debate in Washington about the role of social media companies in moderating content and its impact on political discourse....
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