Zuckerberg tells Jordan the government pressure 'was wrong'

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan that in 2021, senior Biden administration officials, including the White House, 'repeatedly pressured our teams for months to censor certain COVID-19 content, including humor and satire,' and expressed frustration when Meta did not agree. He wrote that 'the government pressure was wrong,' that he regretted not being more outspoken, and that 'ultimately, it was our decision whether or not to take content down, and we own our decisions'; the letter also addressed the 2020 demotion of the Hunter Biden laptop story and his election-related donations. The committee's Republican majority posted the letter publicly, calling it a 'big win for free speech'; the White House responded that it had 'encouraged responsible actions to protect public health and safety' while maintaining tech companies should make 'independent choices.'