Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, revealed that in 2021 the Biden administration exerted pressure on the platform to moderate COVID-19-related content.

In a letter to the House Judiciary Committee on Monday regarding online content moderation inquiries, Zuckerberg claimed that high-ranking officials from the White House consistently requested Facebook to eliminate various COVID-19 materials, including humorous and satirical posts.

“I think the government pressure was inappropriate, and I regret not being more vocal about it,” Zuckerberg stated in the letter. “Additionally, I believe that some of our decisions, given what we know now, would not be made today.”

In a response shared with YSL News on Tuesday, the White House stated:

“In the face of a deadly pandemic, this Administration advocated for responsible actions to safeguard public health. Our stance has always been clear: we expect tech companies and other private entities to consider the impact of their actions on the American populace while making independent decisions about the information they present.”

Republicans on the Judiciary Committee hail the letter as a triumph for free speech

The letter, verified by YSL News, was shared on social media by the House Judiciary Committee’s GOP, declaring it a “significant victory for free speech.”

Republican presidential contender Donald Trump commented on Truth Social about Zuckerberg’s remarks, incorrectly alleging that the election was manipulated.

Earlier in June, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the Biden administration by dismissing a conservative challenge to governmental efforts aimed at decreasing misinformation on social media platforms. However, this ruling did not clarify how far the government can go in this regard without infringing upon the First Amendment.

“I strongly believe that we shouldn’t alter our content standards under pressure from any Administration, regardless of the direction — and we are prepared to defend ourselves if such a situation arises again,” Zuckerberg mentioned in the letter.

Zuckerberg reflects on Hunter Biden and campaign donations

In the same letter, Zuckerberg expressed his regret for downplaying a New York Post article about Hunter Biden in 2020 while awaiting confirmation from fact-checkers on whether it was a part of a Russian disinformation campaign.

“Looking back, we shouldn’t have suppressed the story. We have revised our policies and protocols to ensure this doesn’t happen in the future — for example, we no longer temporarily downrank content in the U.S. while awaiting fact-checks.”

Zuckerberg also noted that he would refrain from making a contribution to electoral infrastructure as he did in 2020. He faced criticism from Republicans for donating around $420 million, alongside his wife, to two national nonpartisan nonprofits that assisted state and local officials during the election. Republicans alleged that this funding benefited Democrats, a claim experts and courts have since challenged.

“My aim is to remain impartial and not influence the outcome in any direction — or even seem to be influencing it,” Zuckerberg explained in the letter. “Therefore, I am not planning to make a similar contribution this cycle.”

Contributors: Maureen Groppe, Bart Jansen, Sudiksha Kochi