Meta Platforms Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg alleged that Facebook was "pressured" by the US government to censor content related to Covid-19 during the global pandemic and that he regrets the company's decision to accede to the demands.
Related?
Emboldened anti-censorship movement takes on 2024
www.axios.com
... An anti-censorship movement born from the chaos of COVID and cultivated on platforms like X is increasingly aligning with the Trump campaign " and scoring some big wins.
Why it matters: Championed by Elon Musk, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and disaffected liberals, this loose network of dissenters views censorship -- real or perceived -- as the existential question of the 2024 election. ...
Anti-censorship?
Or pro-lies and pro-hate-speech?
Related?
French authorities charge Telegram's Durov in probe into organized crime on app
www.reuters.com
...
- - - Durov was detained at a French airport on Saturday
- - - Probe focuses on possible uses of Telegram for various crimes
- - - Mhessaging app has almost a billion users
- - - Case has also fuelled debate on freedom of speech...
Perspective:
Nina Jankowicz
@wiczipedia
Let's talk about Mark Zuckerberg's letter to the House Judiciary Committee, in which he alleges that he felt that the White House "repeatedly pressured his teams to censor" content.
This is nothing more than a cynical political ploy at self preservation. 1/
Jim Jordan and the right have been alleging censorship for years. Why does Zuckerberg release this letter now, three months before the election? To signal to Congressional republicans that he's not against them. It worked for Musk- why shouldn't Zuckerberg try it out now too? 2/
Interestingly, if these allegations were real, Jordan could have made them himself. He has in his possession dozens of interviews and depositions with tech workers, including Facebook employees, who say they did not feel coerced by the White House. 3/
Meta employees were under oath. Zuckerberg's letter is not. He can write whatever he likes, true or not. Jordan should release the transcripts from Meta employees. The Democrats on the Judiciary Committee have been asking for this for months. 4/
These allegations went all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court. The conservative Court could not find a single instance in the mountain of evidence that they reviewed that supported the claim that the US government had unduly coerced social media platforms. 5/
Jordan's manufactured "censorship" crisis started over two years ago, and amounts to a coordinated campaign on those who are standing up for the truth.
I guess Zuckerberg isn't doing that anymore. 6/
I just hope Mark appreciates the irony that by giving Jordan what he wants, he himself is giving into government pressure./end
@#71 ... And yes, I would love to see Zuckerberg go before congress and testify under oath. ...
Was he under oath at this hearing?
Meta, TikTok and other social media CEOs testify in heated Senate hearing on child exploitation (January 2024)
apnews.com
... Sexual predators. Addictive features. Suicide and eating disorders. Unrealistic beauty standards. Bullying. These are just some of the issues young people are dealing with on social media " and children's advocates and lawmakers say companies are not doing enough to protect them.
On Wednesday, the CEOs of Meta, TikTok, X and other social media companies went before the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify at a time when lawmakers and parents are growing increasingly concerned about the effects of social media on young people's lives.
The hearing began with recorded testimony from kids and parents who said they or their children were exploited on social media. Throughout the hourslong event, parents who lost children to suicide silently held up pictures of their dead kids. ...
In a heated question and answer session with Mark Zuckerberg, Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley asked the Meta CEO if he has personally compensated any of the victims and their families for what they have been through.
"I don't think so," Zuckerberg replied.
"There's families of victims here," Hawley said. "Would you like to apologize to them?"
Zuckerberg stood, turned away from his microphone and the senators, and directly addressed the parents in the gallery.
"I'm sorry for everything you have all been through. No one should go through the things that your families have suffered," he said, adding that Meta continues to invest and work on "industrywide efforts" to protect children.
But time and time again, children's advocates and parents have stressed that none of the companies are doing enough. ...
George Benson - This Masquerade (1976)
www.youtube.com
Mr Benson, imo, hits it out of the park in this interpretation of the Leon Rusell tune.
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