Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has criticized the Biden administration’s approach to social media content moderation. He described the pressure his company faced from the White House during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Zuckerberg detailed instances where government officials demanded the removal of certain posts. They include content he described as humorous or truthful.
“These people from the Biden administration would call up our team and, like, scream at them and curse,” Zuckerberg said on the show. “And they’re like, ‘No, you have to take that down.’”
Zuckerberg cited one example involving a meme featuring actor Leonardo DiCaprio. It implied that COVID-19 vaccine recipients might later qualify for a class-action lawsuit.
According to Zuckerberg, despite requests from the Biden administration to remove the meme, Meta declined to do so, with their CEO stating, “We’re not going to take down humor.”
He also noted instances where the administration requested the removal of posts discussing vaccine side effects, even when the information was accurate.
“We were like, no, we’re not gonna take down things that are true, that’s ridiculous,” Zuckerberg said.
Zuckerberg described the situation as “brutal,” claiming that multiple government agencies investigated and scrutinized Meta during this period.
The podcast appearance comes as Meta undergoes significant policy shifts, including the disbandment of its fact-checking team and the termination of its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs.
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