Joe Biden has slammed Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to replace Facebook’s fact-checking division with a company-managed community note, calling it a “truly shameful” choice.
“I think the whole idea of moving away from fact-checking and not reporting on discrimination is contrary to American justice,” the outgoing president told reporters at a press conference on Friday. “It’s important to tell the truth.”
Zuckerberg said last week that the decision to end fact-checking operations on Facebook, Instagram and Threads means that Facebook’s fact-checking, introduced in December 2016, has done more harm than good in terms of public trust. He said it was for a reason.
“The recent election feels like a cultural tipping point in favoring speech again,” Zuckerberg said. “That’s why we’re going back to basics and focusing on reducing mistakes, simplifying policies, and restoring free expression on our platforms.”
The dispute between Meta CEO and Biden (who will step down on January 20th as Donald Trump takes office as the second president) comes as Zuckerberg, like many tech giants, has signaled his intention to do business with the incoming administration. It started in response to this. In Zuckerberg’s case, that includes contributing to President Trump’s record second inauguration fund.
Zuckerberg claimed on Friday’s episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience” that Biden administration officials pressured Facebook to remove certain content from the social media platform. Last year, Zuckerberg wrote in a letter to Jim Jordan, the Republican chairman of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, that the White House would ask Facebook to remove “certain coronavirus-related content, including humor and satire.” “We repeatedly applied pressure,” he said.
In his conversation with Rogan, Zuckerberg said: “Basically, people in the Biden administration would call our team and scream and curse at them. We got to this point and we said, ‘No, we’re not going to do that. , we’re not going to take back the truth.’ That’s strange. ”
Zuckerberg said he is not opposed to vaccines per se. But he also said that while the Biden administration was “trying to push forward” with its coronavirus vaccination plan, it was “basically trying to censor anyone who was opposed to it.”
He said Facebook has “at times” given in to the administration’s orders and made decisions “that we would not be able to make today, even with the benefit of hindsight and new information.”
The tech giant informed employees on Friday that it was abandoning its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) team and rolling back related programs, citing the evolving “legal and policy landscape” in the United States. The move mirrored those of companies like Walmart and Ford, which have similarly scaled back their DEI programs.
After Mr. Zuckerberg called for his company to abandon formal fact-checking services, the White House said the administration “encouraged responsible action to protect public health and safety.”
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“Our position has been clear and consistent: We believe technology companies and other private actors should make independent choices about the information they present, considering the impact of their actions on the American people. “There is,” he added.
But Zuckerberg’s decision to leave Meta’s social media fact-checking in the hands of other users, in line with Elon Musk’s practice at the The move comes at a time when the spread of “misinformation” has become a top political issue.
In an interview with USA Today published Wednesday, Biden said his biggest regret in office was not being able to counter misinformation, including Trump’s claims.
During Biden’s press conference on Friday, which is likely to be his only and final term as president, he spoke on Meta’s social media site in support of free speech while maintaining a ban on illegal content. Zuckerberg’s decision to stop fact-checking was irresponsible.
“I don’t know what that is all about. It’s completely contrary to what America stands for,” Biden said. “We want to tell the truth. The idea that a billionaire buys something and says he doesn’t fact-check it and then millions of people read it is a real shame.” I think so.”
