Facebook's 2020 Election Influence Exposed: Tactics to Suppress Laptop Story

"Facebook's Influence on 2020 Elections: Internal Files Reveal Efforts to Suppress Laptop Story" Jonathan Turley, a public interest law professor at George Washington University, recently participated in a panel discussion at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. The event was centered around his book, "The Indispensable Right." Turley found himself in disagreement with a New York University professor and a Facebook board member in charge of content moderation. Turley criticized Meta/Facebook's record on censorship, calling it partisan and against free speech.

Facebook's Internal Communications

The U.S. Congress has now disclosed internal communications from Facebook, revealing a deliberate attempt to appease Biden officials by censoring the Hunter Biden laptop story before the election. This information was unveiled in a report by the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Weaponization of Government. The report shows Facebook executives following the FBI's lead, which had previously warned them to be ready to suppress such stories before the election. The FBI was aware that the laptop was authentic, as they had it in their possession and American intelligence had confirmed it was not Russian disinformation. A Microsoft employee noted in the communications, "FBI tipped us all off last week that this Burisma story was likely to emerge,"

Facebook's Effort to Influence the Election

The communications also reveal a conscious effort to appease Biden and Harris, effectively aiding their election campaign. Nick Clegg, Facebook’s then-Vice President of Global Affairs, reportedly wrote to Joel Kaplan, Vice President of Global Public Policy, stating that their handling of the situation could significantly influence how a potential Biden administration might view them. A Facebook employee acknowledged the potential accusations of election interference in the communications, stating, "When we get hauled up to [Capitol] [H]ill to testify on why we influenced the 2020 elections, we can say we have been meeting for YEARS with USG [the U.S. government] to plan for it.”

Facebook's Influence Extends Beyond the Election

The internal files from Facebook reveal more than just election interference. At one point, Nick Clegg questioned why they were removing claims that Covid was man-made rather than just downgrading or labeling them. The Vice President in charge of content policy responded, stating that they were under pressure from the administration to do more, but in hindsight, they shouldn't have complied. Democrats opposed all attempts to obtain this information, and Facebook only recently agreed to hand over its files, years after Elon Musk ordered the release of the “Twitter files.” Turley brought up this issue during the NCC event to challenge Meta's self-praise over its record. Despite its claims of transparency, the company had resisted calls to release these files for years. When the House finally forced the company to release the files, CEO Mark Zuckerberg issued a brief apology and moved on. The company is now portraying its record as a defense of free speech.

Bottom Line

The revelations about Facebook's internal communications and its efforts to influence the 2020 elections raise serious questions about the role of social media platforms in shaping public opinion and potentially interfering in democratic processes. What do you think about these revelations? Share your thoughts with your friends and consider signing up for the Daily Briefing, which is delivered every day at 6pm.