Staff Reports
In a stunning revelation, it has been uncovered that Facebook censored content speculating that COVID-19 may have been man-made. The social media giant’s decision came after it was put under pressure by the Biden administration, according to internal company communications obtained by the House Judiciary Committee.
The emails, reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, shed light on the deliberations within Facebook about how to handle posts that suggested a man-made origin of the virus. Surprisingly, Facebook executives expressed confusion and regret over their censorship actions.
Facebook Censored Posts Saying COVID Was “Man-Made” after Pressure from Biden Admin – Report https://t.co/EglyTbC2Nn
— 🇺🇸🇺🇸Josh Dunlap🇺🇲🇺🇲 ULTRA-MAGA (@JDunlap1974) July 28, 2023
In one email, Facebook’s president for global affairs, Nick Clegg, questioned why they were removing such claims rather than simply labeling or demoting them. The response from a Facebook vice president responsible for content policy revealed that the company had been influenced by pressure from the Biden administration and others.
This incident occurred after Facebook’s parent company had already lifted the ban on posts claiming the virus was man-made, due to the growing debate surrounding its origins. Congressman Jim Jordan, who obtained these emails as part of his investigation into social media censorship efforts by the Biden administration, is raising questions about the administration’s involvement.
It is no secret that President Biden has been very vocal about his concerns over misinformation related to vaccines, even going as far as claiming that it’s “killing people.” Following his remarks, Facebook started deleting posts that were deemed unfavorable by the White House. It appears that there was a discrepancy between the content the White House wanted removed and what Facebook was willing to take down, as revealed in one of the emails.
Furthermore, the White House seemed to have issues with humor that touched on the COVID-19 vaccine. The same Facebook vice president mentioned in the emails stated that the White House wanted comedy posts removed if they referenced vaccine side effects or hesitancy.
Facebook’s Covid-19 policy aims to remove content that increases the risk of real-world harm. This includes prohibiting content that denies the existence of the virus, as well as claims that the vaccines are not approved, unsafe, or ineffective at preventing severe illness or death. However, this incident raises concerns about the influence of the Biden administration on Facebook’s content moderation decisions.
In response to these revelations, Meta spokesperson Andy Stone confirmed that the platform has provided additional documents to the House Judiciary Committee. He stated that Meta has been cooperating in good faith with the committee’s requests for information and will continue to do so.
This alleged censorship of COVID-19 origins raises important questions about the power social media platforms have and the extent to which they can be influenced by political pressures. It is crucial to protect free speech and ensure transparency in content moderation decisions without succumbing to political influence
