Mark Zuckerberg claims White House pressured Facebook to censor COVID-19 content

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has expressed regret over what he describes as pressure from the Biden administration to censor COVID-19 content on Facebook and Instagram during the pandemic.

In a letter to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, Zuckerberg revealed that senior White House officials repeatedly pushed Meta to suppress certain posts, including humor and satire related to COVID-19.

Zuckerberg acknowledged that Facebook added misinformation warnings and deleted posts criticizing vaccines during the pandemic, but now believes the government pressure was wrong. He acknowledged that, in hindsight, Meta would have made different decisions and emphasized that the company should not have compromised its content standards.

The White House defended its actions, stating that it aimed to protect public health and safety by encouraging responsible behavior.