Mark Zuckerberg gives government pressure on Facebook during pandemic

Mark Zuckerberg gives government pressure on Facebook during pandemic

Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta Platforms Inc., announced in a letter that Facebook censored Corona-related content during the Corona pandemic. Zuckerberg regretted the company's decision and misjudged the influence of the US government.

"In 2021, high-ranking officials from the bid administration, including the White House, repeatedly put our teams under pressure for months to censor certain covid 19 content, including humor and satire," wrote Zuckerberg to the judicial committee of the US House of Representatives. He emphasized that the decision to remove content was ultimately with Meta itself, but at the same time noticed that the government's pressure was inappropriate and that it was a mistake not to communicate more openly about it.

During the pandemic, Facebook attracted the criticism of opponents of Lockdowns, vaccines and mask duties, since certain contributions were removed that allegedly contained misinformation about the virus or violated the company guidelines. There are critical reports about briefings in the White House in which such measures were discussed, but an official confirmation of this is still pending.

reactions to the censorship regulations

The White House defended its procedure in an explanation that was cited by the US message page Politico: "In view of a deadly pandemic, this government encouraged responsible measures to protect public health and security. Our position was clear and consistent: We believe that technology companies and other private actors take the effects of their actions on the American people and at the same time make independent decisions about the information presented by them should. "

Zuckerberg also confessed that Facebook has retained content that refers to reports from the “New York Post” about Hunter Biden in the run -up to the 2020 elections. This incident, known as the "laptop" affair, led the relevant content to be temporarily blocked and later postings were deleted or restricted within reach. This was due to the assumptions of the FBI that it could be Russian disinformation. However, it is now clear that the content is authentic. In this case, too, Zuckerberg apologized: "In retrospect, we shouldn't have downgraded the story."

debate about freedom of expression and content moderation

The moderation of content through social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter focuses on intensive debates worldwide. Some companies hesitate to make regulations on what can be posted online, while some governments consider excessive self -regulation to be potentially dangerous because they could promote criminal behavior.

Elon Musk, the billionaire behind X (formerly Twitter), repeatedly emphasizes the importance of freedom of expression on his platform. The European Union has already reminded him of its obligations several times, especially with regard to the Digital Service Act (DSA). In a further case, the co -founder of Telegram, Pavel Durov, was arrested by French officials, since the platform supposedly did not provide sufficient criminal activities, including the spread of material about sexual child abuse.

Zuckerberg also emphasized his neutrality shortly before the presidential election, in which Kamala Harris competes against former President Donald Trump. "My goal is to be neutral and neither play a role in one nor in the other direction - nor appear to give a role," he wrote in his letter. Commentators saw this as an indication that Zuckerberg does not intend to financially support the Democrats in the current election. His letter was often shared on X and controversially discussed.

The recognition of their own mistakes by Zuckerberg was positively evaluated by many observers. The Republicans in the judicial committee of the House of Representatives, under the direction of Congressman Jim Jordan from Ohio, celebrated Zuckerberg's admission as a "great profit for freedom of expression".

- Nag