Meta CEO Zuckerberg's Admission of Censorship: More Contrived than Contrite

Jonathan Turley, a Fox News Media contributor and the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University, recently discussed Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's admission that his company, Facebook, succumbed to pressure from the Biden-Harris administration to censor American citizens on a wide range of subjects. Turley criticized Zuckerberg's belated regret as more insulting than inspiring, likening it to the insincere regret of an intruder found hiding under a victim's bed.

Zuckerberg's Reluctant Admission

Zuckerberg's regret surfaced only after his company had spent years trying to hide evidence of its collaboration with the government to censor opposing views. The documents revealing this collaboration were finally released under pressure from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and the House Judiciary Committee. Now, Zuckerberg has been forced to acknowledge what many have long suspected, and he claims to be genuinely sorry. In his book, "The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage," Turley discusses Facebook's role as a key player in the anti-free speech alliance of government, corporate, academic, and media forces. Despite Elon Musk exposing this system in his release of the "Twitter Files," Zuckerberg continued to withhold similar information about his own company's conduct.

Facebook's Role in Censorship

Facebook was not silent when it came to censorship, or "content moderation" as the company prefers to call it. While Zuckerberg now expresses regret at not speaking out sooner, his company previously sought to sell Americans on censorship. In 2021, Turley wrote about a Facebook commercial campaign in which the company attempted to rally young people to embrace censorship.

Facebook's Attempt to Sell Censorship

The commercials featured people like "Joshan," who grew up with the internet and called for the blending of the real world and the internet world, presenting content moderation as part of this new world. Facebook presented Joshan and his colleagues Chava and Adam as the eager faces of young people longing to be content modified. They were all born in 1996, a crucial year for censors who saw young people as allies in reducing free speech.

Feigned Regret and Forced Exposure

Zuckerberg and Meta now want people to know that they were "pressured" to censor and deeply regret their role in silencing opposing voices. However, this regret appears to be feigned and comes with forced exposure. The Facebook files now contradict past claims of the Biden administration and many Democrats in Congress, who have long demanded the removal of opposing views on a wide array of subjects.

The Biden Administration's Role in Censorship

The Biden administration has long demanded the removal of opposing views on a wide array of subjects, and Democrats in Congress pushed Zuckerberg to expand the scope of censorship to include areas like climate change denial. The head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Jen Easterly, declared that the agency's mandate would now include policing "our cognitive infrastructure," which includes combating "malinformation," or information "based on fact, but used out of context to mislead, harm, or manipulate."

Proposed Federal Law to Bar Government Censorship

In his book, Turley proposes a federal law that would bar the government from using any federal funds to support efforts to censor, blacklist, or suppress individuals or groups. This law would effectively take the government out of the censorship business. Turley believes that Vice President Kamala Harris should be asked if she would oppose such a law and dismantle the current censorship apparatus in the federal government.

Bottom Line

The debate around free speech and censorship continues to be a hot topic, especially in light of recent revelations about Facebook's role in censoring content under government pressure. What are your thoughts on this issue? Do you believe that free speech is under threat, and what role should tech companies play in protecting or limiting it? Share your thoughts with your friends and join the conversation. Also, don't forget to sign up for the Daily Briefing, which is delivered every day at 6pm.