The Facebook files recently exposed that Meta’s platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, censored Americans and changed their content moderation rules following requests from the Biden administration during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Rep. Jim Jordan Reveals Facebook Files: Americans Censored Under Pressure from Biden Administration
THE FACEBOOK FILES, PART 1: SMOKING-GUN DOCS PROVE FACEBOOK CENSORED AMERICANS BECAUSE OF BIDEN WHITE HOUSE PRESSURE
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— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) July 27, 2023
According to a report released on Tuesday, the committee chair, Jim Jordan, claims that Meta did not fully cooperate with a congressional investigation by withholding internal documents that were requested.
Jordan, who is a Republican from Ohio, also issued subpoenas to other tech giants like Alphabet (Google), Microsoft, Amazon, and Apple earlier this year. However, Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, is currently the main focus of additional scrutiny.
The White House officials exerted growing pressure on Facebook to take down posts, including memes, that were allegedly seen as spreading Covid-19 “misinformation” and discouraging vaccine acceptance. These actions raised concerns about the impact on free speech and the handling of information related to public health measures and vaccines.
In April 2021, a Facebook employee circulated an email for Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg, writing: “We are facing continued pressure from external stakeholders, including the [Biden] White House” to remove posts. pic.twitter.com/iDRV3Kk2oO
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) July 27, 2023
Rep. Jim Jordan, the House Judiciary Committee chairman, obtained internal documents that allegedly demonstrate the Biden administration’s exertion of pressure on social media giants.
One such document is an email sent in April 2021 to Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg, which mentioned that they were facing ongoing pressure from external stakeholders, including the White House and the press, to remove more COVID-19 vaccine discouraging content.
The email further revealed that a list of the top 100 vaccine-related posts was shared with the administration, and officials requested the removal of a humorous meme discouraging vaccines.
Meta’s claim: Full cooperation with congressional investigation
Meta claims that it has completely cooperated and fulfilled all requirements of the congressional investigation.
“For many months, Meta has operated in good faith with this committee’s sweeping requests for information, The Guardian reported. We began sharing documents before the committee’s February subpoena and have continued to do so,” said a Meta spokesperson, Andy Stone.
Stone stated that Meta has already provided over 53,000 pages of both internal and external documents. Additionally, they have made almost a dozen current and former employees available for discussions on both internal and external matters, with some of these meetings scheduled for this week.
Meta submitted additional documents just hours before the scheduled vote announced by Rep. Jordan on Thursday, Politico reported. However, despite this, the Ohio Republican expressed dissatisfaction with the provided documents.
“They’ve given us documents because we’re pushing and because we’re talking about this – we appreciate that, but we are convinced that it’s way short of what they should be providing us,” Jordan reportedly said in an interview.
