Zuckerberg claims US administration sought to censor Facebook Covid-19 memes
Date
1/13/2025 7:35:14 AM
(MENAFN) Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta (Facebook's parent company), revealed that the US government pressured his team to censor satirical memes about COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic. In an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Zuckerberg discussed how government officials pushed for social media platforms to remove content, particularly a meme mocking vaccine injuries, despite it being a satirical post.
Zuckerberg explained that while content moderation is not governed by the First Amendment, government involvement in directing private companies to remove specific content raises legal concerns. The meme in question featured a scene from Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and implied that vaccine injury lawsuits would surface in the future. The White House, led by President Biden, had been vocal about its stance on vaccine misinformation, with Biden blaming social media for “killing people” by spreading vaccine-related falsehoods.
During the podcast, Zuckerberg also mentioned that his company had taken down millions of posts flagged by the government and others as misinformation. However, Zuckerberg recently ended Facebook's fact-checking program, calling it politically biased. He also discussed his past financial support for Democrats and his recent efforts to make amends with Donald Trump.
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