Meta CEO Opens Up On Censorship, “Big Win For Free Speech” Says US House GOP

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has opened up about how he was pressured by the Biden-Harris administration on content moderation and censorship. US House Judiciary Committee Republicans said it’s a “big win for free speech” as the world fights against government authoritarianism after the surprising arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov.

The move was praised by Elon Musk as Zuckerberg broke silent on content moderation and keeping away from Democrats this election cycle.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg Sends Letter to US House GOP

Amid a global uproar after Pavel Durov’s arrest, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg breaks his silence on free speech and content moderation after pressure from the US government. The move likely came after Elon Musk slammed Zuckerberg for keeping silence on the situation.

In a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan Zuckerberg admitted that the Biden-Harris administration pressured Facebook to censor Americans, especially COVID-19 content. The revelation came as part of the committee’s investigation into content moderation on online platforms.

Meta CEO acknowledged these pressures and expressed regret over some of the decisions made in response, stating a commitment to refining its content moderation policies going forward. He also added that the FBI warned Meta about potential Russian disinformation involving the Biden family and Burisma, leading the company to demote related posts.

Mark Zuckerberg also announced that he will not contribute to this election cycle. He claims that some people criticized his neutral approach in the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative in the 2020 presidential election and ended up favoring the Democratic Party.

Mark Zuckerberg just admitted three things:

1. Biden-Harris Admin "pressured" Facebook to censor Americans.

2. Facebook censored Americans.

3. Facebook throttled the Hunter Biden laptop story.

Big win for free speech. pic.twitter.com/ALlbZd9l6K

— House Judiciary GOP 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 (@JudiciaryGOP) August 26, 2024

Gabor Gurbacs, the strategy advisor at Tether and VanEck, believes that every public official who “illegally forced media companies to censor users should be named, investigated and tried in court.” He thinks the public deserves to know who details.

The UAE government has also come in support of the Telegram CEO as they asked the French government to provide consular assistance immediately. The UAE foreign ministry said they are monitoring the situation with the arrest of Durov, who is also an Emirati.

Pavel Durov Case Takes New Shift

Pavel Durov facing 12 criminal charges, according to the document released by Tribunal Judiciaire de Paris. Among the charges are accusations that Durov was complicit in enabling illegal activities on Telegram, including facilitating transactions for organized crime through his oversight of the platform. The charges also include refusing to provide key details to law enforcement agencies, further implicating him in obstructing justice.

Meanwhile, Elon Musk has reacted to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s regret in supporting the Biden administration’s censorship demand and plans to cut funding for Democrats. Zuckerberg hinted at supporting free speech.

TON price today fell further to a low of $5.06. Toncoin price has slightly rebounded to $5.42, after some support from whales on expectations of Pavel Durov’s release.