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Facebook CEO Admits Biden Admin Pressured Company To Censor Posts

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Mark Zuckerberg
Photo Credit: JD Lasica from Pleasanton, CA, US, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

META CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed that the Biden administration furiously contacted his company on a regular basis, insisting on censoring certain types of content being posted by users of the platform.

During an appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast that aired on Friday, he went on to share that the administration took aggressive measures to push them into silencing people who questioned vaccines.

“And they pushed us super hard to take down things that, honestly, were true,” Zuckerberg admitted.

“‘Anything that says that vaccines might have side effects, you basically need to take down.’ And I was just like, ‘Well, we’re not going to do that. Like we’re clearly not going to do that.'”

He also alleged that there were instances where Biden’s officials resorted to screaming and cursing to pressure Meta into compliance.

Zuckerberg’s comments follow an earlier statement from August in which he disclosed through a letter that teams at Meta had been repeatedly pressured by the Biden administration to censor content. This included information that was scientifically accurate and even memes.

Separately, on Friday, Meta announced a sweeping overhaul to its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

Effective immediately, the company is putting an end to traditional DEI programs and will instead concentrate on implementing practices “that mitigate bias for all, no matter your background.”

According to Janelle Gale, Meta’s VP of human resources, the decision was influenced by developments in the legal and regulatory realms.

She addressed employees through a memo, explaining, “The legal and policy landscape surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in the United States is changing.”

Gale also pointed to recent rulings by the Supreme Court, which reflect a notable pivot in how DEI strategies are perceived in legal contexts.

Further noting cultural shifts, Gale said, “The term ‘DEI’ has also become charged, in part because it is understood by some as a practice that suggests preferential treatment of some groups over others.”

With that in mind, the company decided it would no longer maintain a distinct DEI team. Maxine Williams, who previously held the position of chief diversity officer, is transitioning into a new role that centers on accessibility and engagement.

Instead, Meta plans to craft initiatives designed for fair treatment across all demographics. This includes fresh approaches to “hiring, development, and procurement practices,” according to Gale.

For example, its supplier partnerships will now concentrate on supporting small and medium-sized businesses rather than prioritizing diverse-owned companies specifically.

Changes to hiring policies were also announced. Although Meta remains committed to recruiting talent from diverse backgrounds, the organization will discontinue its “diverse-slate hiring approach.”

This method previously ensured that candidate pools were assessed with an emphasis on diversity.

“We believe there are other ways to build an industry-leading workforce and leverage teams made up of world-class people from all types of backgrounds,” Gale stated.

Gale further elaborated that the impression of promoting favoritism, even unintentionally, can undermine trust in hiring processes.

Which “can create the impression that decisions are being made based on race or gender,” she explained. “While this has never been our practice, we want to eliminate any impression of it.”

It was further disclosed that Meta had already ceased setting representation goals for women and minorities prior to this announcement. These latest adjustments are part of a broader effort to realign organizational priorities.

Notably, this announcement comes just days after Zuckerberg stunned the public by revealing significant shifts in Meta’s content moderation policies for Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.

Zuckerberg cited a renewed commitment to free speech, which will include the removal of Facebook’s third-party “fact-checking” system—a system long criticized for alleged partisan bias.

“We’re going to get back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies and restoring free expression on our platforms,” Zuckerberg said in post on Tuesday.

“More specifically, here’s what we’re going to do. First, we’re going to get rid of fact-checkers and replace them with community notes similar to X, starting in the U.S.”

“I was really worried from the beginning about basically becoming this decider of what is true in the world,” he told Rogan. “That’s kind of a crazy position to be in for billions of people using your service.”

“It just got to a point where it’s just OK this is destroying so much trust, especially in the United States, to have this program,” Zuckerberg added.

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