Mark Zuckerberg says White House ‘pressured’ Facebook to censor Covid content

“I believe the government pressure was wrong, and I regret that we were not more outspoken about it,” Zuckerberg wrote in the letter, dated August 26, which was posted on the committee’s Facebook page and its account on X.

The letter is Zuckerberg’s latest rejection of efforts to target misinformation during the coronavirus pandemic, particularly as allegations surface that some posts were wrongly deleted or restricted.

“I also think we made some choices that, with the benefit of hindsight and new information, we wouldn’t make today,” he said, and added, “We’re ready to push back if something like this happens again.”

However, as per news agency Associated Press, in response to Meta boss comments, the White House stated, “When confronted with a deadly pandemic, this Administration encouraged responsible actions to protect public health and safety. Our position has been clear and consistent: 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.”

The House Judiciary Committee, controlled by Republicans, hailed Zuckerberg’s admissions as a “big win for free speech”, in a post on the committee’s Facebook page.

Experts warn that this year’s US election could be overwhelmed by misinformation on social media, fueled by the proliferation of artificial intelligence and other tools to create false news stories and misleading content.

In early 2021, Facebook began appending labels with “credible information” to posts about Covid-19 vaccines. This followed an April 2020 move to warn users who shared misinformation about the pandemic as the virus caused global shutdowns and significant lifestyle changes.