Facebook removed COVID-19 posts under pressure from Biden administration, according to newly uncovered emails.

Facebook removed COVID-19 posts under pressure from Biden administration, according to newly uncovered emails.

How the White House Pressured Facebook to Remove COVID-19 Content: Uncovering the Tensions and Disagreements

The White House recently exerted pressure on Facebook to take action against COVID-19-related content, leading to a series of tensions and disagreements within the company. In response to the White House’s requests, Facebook, now operating under the parent company Meta, intensified its moderation efforts in order to address misinformation and jokes about vaccines. However, newly uncovered internal emails reveal that some executives at Facebook expressed reservations and believed that CEO Mark Zuckerberg would disagree with the directives.

A Clash of Opinions

When the White House urged Facebook to clamp down on COVID-19-related content, including theories about the origins of the virus and satirical posts about vaccine safety, several executives within the company had concerns about Mark Zuckerberg’s stance on the matter. According to The Wall Street Journal, internal emails and communications indicate that, despite these reservations, Facebook yielded to many of the White House’s demands.

In one email, Nick Clegg, Facebook’s vice president of global affairs at the time, expressed doubt that Zuckerberg would support the removal of humorous content about the vaccine. He stated, “I can’t see Mark in a million years being comfortable with removing that—and I wouldn’t recommend it.” This suggests that there was a difference of opinion within the company regarding the removal of certain types of COVID-19 content.

Dissenting Voices and Vaccine Skepticism

The newly uncovered emails also shed light on the fact that not all executives at Facebook agreed with the Biden administration’s content moderation demands. Some expressed concerns that removing certain posts would only serve to amplify vaccine skepticism. According to The Wall Street Journal, an unnamed Facebook vice president wrote, “There is likely a significant gap between what the White House would like us to remove and what we are comfortable removing.”

One such instance of regret over giving in to pressure occurred when Facebook took down, rather than demoting or labeling, content suggesting that COVID-19 was man-made. This decision went against Meta’s COVID-19 policy. A Facebook vice president expressed remorse for this action, indicating that they should have handled the situation differently.

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Meta’s Response and White House Criticisms

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, declined to comment on the report when approached by Insider and The Wall Street Journal. However, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre emphasized the importance of social media platforms taking responsibility for the effects their platforms have on the public. This reinforces the White House’s stance on holding social media companies accountable for the content shared on their platforms.

It is worth mentioning that the White House had previously criticized Facebook’s handling of COVID-19 misinformation, with President Biden even stating that the platform was “killing people.” Although he later retracted his comments, President Biden continued to urge Facebook to do more to prevent the spread of misinformation.

In response to these criticisms, Facebook defended its position by highlighting data that showed 85% of its US users were either vaccinated or interested in receiving the vaccine. The company initially announced its plans to combat false information on coronavirus vaccines in December 2020, approximately one month after the first COVID-19 vaccine proved its effectiveness. Facebook’s approach to removing misinformation evolved multiple times over the following year.

The Investigation and Unveiling of Internal Emails

The Wall Street Journal’s report coincides with the House Judiciary Committee’s investigation into the Biden administration’s attempts to address misinformation on social media platforms. It was during this investigation that the committee, led by Republicans, obtained the internal Facebook emails.

The tensions and disagreements concerning COVID-19 content moderation highlight the complex challenges faced by social media platforms in their efforts to balance freedom of speech and the necessity to combat misinformation. As technology continues to shape society, the responsibility of social media companies in safeguarding public health and information will likely remain a contentious issue.

• Biden
• Facebook
• Meta