Mark Zuckerberg opposes “repeated pressure” from the White House during the Covid-19 pandemic

2024-08-28 06:36:51

He said he was “ready to take revenge” if the situation “recurred” again. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp), attacked the “pressure” of the Biden administration for his team to remove a content linked to Covid-19 in 2021, accusations that were partially accepted by the White House in Tuesday, but was welcomed by opposition Republicans.

He ruled that the US government had made a “mistake” in demanding censorship of some content related to the pandemic on its social media platforms, according to a letter sent on Monday to a US Congress committee. affect.

The White House responded that its “position has been clear and correct” during the pandemic that has killed more than a million people in the United States, amid bitter political battles over vaccines and efforts to limit the spread of the virus. “We believe that technology groups and other private actors must consider the consequences of their actions on the American people, while making independent choices about the information they disseminate,” the executive’s statement said. America has a short press.

“Big win” for Republicans

According to the Facebook founder, the Biden administration “repeatedly forced groups for months (in 2021) to explain some of the Covid-19 content, including humor and satire.” Mark Zuckerberg wrote in a letter to the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Jim Jordan: “I believe that the power of government harassment is a mistake, and I regret that we did not tell the truth about it.

The letter was made public by Republicans who are members, two months before the US presidential election marked by a wave of information on social networks. “I am confident that we must not compromise our content standards due to pressure from any administration, and we are ready to retaliate if such a situation arises again,” the boss added.

Republicans on the Judiciary Committee called the statements “a huge victory for free speech” on the social network X (formerly Twitter). Many conservatives have for years accused social media and technology companies of censoring their party’s views and promoting the Democrats’ agenda.