Washington:
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, recently shared an account of Biden administration officials berating Facebook staff over content removal requests. On “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast, Zuckerberg recounted, “Basically, these people from the Biden administration would call up our team and, like, scream at them and curse.” He emphasised that Facebook eventually pushed back, saying, “It just got to this point where we were like, ‘No, we’re not gonna, we’re not gonna take down things that are true. That’s ridiculous.'”
This isn’t the first time Zuckerberg has spoken out about administration pressure. In a letter to Rep. Jim Jordan last year, Zuckerberg stated that the White House “repeatedly pressured” Facebook to remove specific COVID-19 content, including humor and satire. Zuckerberg admitted that Facebook complied at times but suggested they would make different decisions in the future. He noted, “We made some choices that, with the benefit of hindsight and new information, we wouldn’t make today”.
Mark Zuckerberg want us to like him the way we like Trump and Elon , so he’s on Joe Rogan saying things we like to hear pic.twitter.com/v8BrecoeT6
— Winnie Schola (@WinnieSchola) January 10, 2025
The White House responded at the time, stating, “When confronted with a deadly pandemic, this Administration encouraged responsible actions to protect public health and safety.” They emphasised their position, saying, “We believe tech companies and other private actors should take into account the effects their actions have on the American people, while making independent choices about the information they present”.
Zuckerberg shared a specific example of the administration’s requests, involving a meme featuring Leonardo DiCaprio pointing at a TV screen advertising a class action lawsuit for people who took the Covid vaccine. Zuckerberg said, “They’re like, ‘No, you have to take that down,'” but Facebook refused, stating, “We’re not gonna take down humor and satire. We’re not gonna take down things that are, that are true”.
This incident was part of a larger case that made it to the Supreme Court in 2023. The plaintiffs sought to bar government officials from communicating with social media companies, but the Supreme Court ultimately threw out the lawsuit in a 6-3 ruling.
Zuckerberg’s comments come as Meta announces changes to its content moderation policies. They have announced an end to their fact-checking program and replace it with a community-driven structure. Additionally, Facebook and Instagram will relax rules related to political content.
It is also notable to mention that he is one of the tech moguls whose company has pledged to donate $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural fund.
