In recent times, concerns about the influence of social media platforms on public discourse and the potential for censorship have become increasingly prevalent. One such platform, Facebook, has come under scrutiny for its alleged compliance with the Biden regime’s requests to censor specific content. In this article, we will delve into “The Facebook Files, Part 1,” released by Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH), which shed light on the extent of Facebook’s cooperation with the Biden administration’s efforts to control the narrative on its platform. The documents reveal a series of internal communications and exchanges that paint a concerning picture of the relationship between Facebook and the White House.
The Pressure on Facebook
During the first half of 2021, social media companies faced immense pressure from the Biden White House to crack down on alleged “misinformation.” Representative Jim Jordan’s released documents demonstrate that Facebook and Instagram altered their content moderation policies and censored posts under the influence of external stakeholders, including the Biden administration.
According to internal emails obtained via a Judiciary Committee subpoena, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg were continually pressed by external stakeholders, including the Biden White House, to remove certain posts. Even memes were not spared from the censorship efforts, as evidenced by the pressure to delete a vaccine-discouraging humorous meme.
“What did the Biden White House want removed? A meme. That’s right, even memes weren’t spared from the Biden White House’s censorship efforts.” – Rep. Jim Jordan.
What did the Biden White House want removed?
A meme.
That’s right, even memes weren’t spared from the Biden White House’s censorship efforts. pic.twitter.com/6BhDxTHsUi
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) July 27, 2023
The Quest to Censor Vaccine-Discouraging Content
Internal communications within Facebook revealed the administration’s strong desire to remove vaccine-discouraging content. In an email from April 2021, an employee sought guidance from Zuckerberg and Sandberg on whether to take more aggressive action against such content. The email highlighted the continued pressure from external stakeholders, including the White House and the press, to remove COVID-19 vaccine-discouraging content. The administration specifically expressed concern over a vaccine-discouraging humorous meme that had gained significant traction on the platform.
Another internal communication from the same month, between Nick Clegg, Facebook’s President for Global Affairs, and Andy Slavitt, a Senior Advisor to President Biden, revealed Slavitt’s outrage over Facebook’s failure to remove a particular post. Clegg raised concerns about potential violations of free expression norms in the US, but Slavitt argued that the post compared COVID vaccines to asbestos poisoning, thereby undermining confidence in the vaccines among the targeted population.
“I countered that removing [content] like that would represent a significant incursion into traditional boundaries of free expression in the US, but he replied that the post was directly comparing Covid vaccines to asbestos poisoning in a way which demonstrably inhibits confidence in Covid vaccines amongst those the Biden Administration is trying to reach.” – Nick Clegg.
When Clegg “countered that removing content like that would represent a significant incursion into traditional boundaries of free expression in the US,”
Slavitt disregarded the warning and the First Amendment. pic.twitter.com/CaVm2AsTrg
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) July 27, 2023
Strained Relations and Reassessment
As a result of the pressure from the Biden administration, Facebook found its relationship with the White House at a crossroads. Brian Rice, Facebook’s VP of public policy, highlighted this strain in an April email, stating that the company needed to regroup and assess its relations with the White House and internal methods.
“Given what is at stake here, it would also be a good idea if we could regroup and take stock of where we are in our relations with the [White House], and our internal methods too.” – Brian Rice.
In an effort to repair relations and avoid adverse action, Facebook officials considered reassessing their ties with the Biden administration.
But Facebook wanted to repair its relationship with the White House to avoid adverse action:
“Given what is at stake here, it would also be a good idea if we could regroup and take stock of where we are in our relations with the [White House], and our internal methods too.” pic.twitter.com/nLbYkf2quy
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) July 27, 2023
The Demand to Censor Tucker Carlson
The documents released by Representative Jim Jordan also shed light on the Biden administration’s push to censor Tucker Carlson of FOX News. Previously, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry released communications revealing the Biden regime’s pressure on Facebook to censor Tucker Carlson’s content. Joe Flaherty, Biden’s Director of Digital Strategy, demanded to know how Facebook would reduce the information related to Tucker Carlson. The White House was particularly upset with Carlson’s questioning of the experimental vaccine.
“Clear effort at government-directed social media censorship.” – AG Jeff Landry.
In response, Facebook prepared talking points indicating that they had demoted a video by Tucker Carlson by 50%, despite the post not violating any policies. The demotion involved reducing the video’s visibility and placing it in a fact-checking queue.
Public Pressure on Facebook
The public pressure on Facebook reached its peak in July 2021 when President Biden accused the platform and other social media platforms of “killing people” by not censoring alleged misinformation. This public denouncement further intensified the scrutiny on Facebook’s content moderation policies.
“Public pressure mounted as well. In July 2021, President Biden publicly denounced Facebook and other social media platforms, claiming they were ‘killing people’ by not censoring alleged ‘misinformation’.” – Rep. Jim Jordan.
Under the mounting pressure from the Biden administration, Facebook announced on August 2, 2021, that it would be making changes to its policies. The leadership asked their Misinfo Policy team to brainstorm additional policy levers to be more aggressive against misinformation, citing criticism from the Biden administration.
“August 2, 2021: ‘[Facebook’s] Leadership asked Misinfo Policy… to brainstorm some additional policy levers we can pull to be more aggressive against… misinformation. This is stemming from the continued criticism of our approach from the [Biden] administration.'” – Rep. Jim Jordan.
Facebook’s Compliance with the Biden Administration
According to Representative Jim Jordan, Facebook not only bowed to the pressure from the White House but also changed its policies under the directive of Biden’s Surgeon General. This led to the censorship of what was referred to as the “disinformation dozen” – individuals who allegedly spread vaccine-related misinformation.
The documents released by Jim Jordan and the subsequent lawsuit filed by Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry and former Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt highlight an alleged abuse of power by the Biden administration. The collusion between the administration, various government departments, and big tech is seen as a direct assault on the First Amendment and the freedom of expression.