Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg Blasts US Government for Efforts to ‘Censor’ Content
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Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Jan. 31, 2024 in Washington, D.C.
Key TakeawaysMeta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the U.S. government pressured the company to "censor" certain content on its platforms.In a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary released Monday, Zuckerberg wrote senior officials "repeatedly pressured" Meta to "censor" some COVID-19-related content.The CEO said while it was "ultimately" Meta's decision, the company would not make the same decisions today and has changed its policies.The statement comes ahead of the U.S. presidential election between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris amid concerns about misinformation.
Meta (META) CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the U.S. government pressured the company to "censor" some content from its social media platforms."In 2021, senior officials from the [President Joe] Biden Administration, including the White House, repeatedly pressured [Meta] teams for months to censor certain COVID-19 content," Zuckerberg wrote in a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary released Monday."Ultimately, it was [Meta's] decision whether or not to take content down," the CEO said, but noted that he "believe[s] the government pressure was wrong." He added the company "made some choices that, with the benefit of hindsight and new information, [Meta] wouldn't make today."Disinformation During the 2020 Campaign Was Also A ConcernZuckerberg also said there was an instance ahead of the 2020 presidential election when federal officials alerted the company to a potential disinformation campaign against then-presidential-candidate Biden, causing Meta to demote related content.He said Meta now regrets that decision and the company has changed policies to "no longer temporarily demote things in the U.S. while waiting for fact-checkers."With the 2024 presidential election between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris approaching, Zuckerberg said his "goal is to be neutral and not play a role one way or another."Zuckerberg's statements come amid concerns about the spread of misinformation, especially content fueled by artificial intelligence (AI), during an election year. Read the original article on Investopedia.
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