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Yommie
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Mark Zuckerberg: Covid censorship was wrong and I wish I’d fought it
Facebook founder claims White House ‘repeatedly pressured’ his social media giant to censor posts
www.telegraph.co.uk
Mark Zuckerberg: Covid censorship was wrong and I wish I’d fought it
Facebook founder claims White House ‘repeatedly pressured’ his social media giant to censor postsJames Titcomb27 August 2024 • 9:12am
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Mark Zuckerberg said he regrets suppressing certain Covid-19 stories on his platforms Credit: Tom Williams/Getty Images
Mark Zuckerberg has said Facebook and Instagram were wrong to censor posts about Covid during the pandemic and that the company should have fought pressure from the Biden administration.
In a letter to a US committee investigating online content moderation, Mr Zuckerberg said senior White House officials “repeatedly pressured” the company after Joe Biden was inaugurated in 2021.
He said that Facebook “made some choices” that it would not have made today.
In a letter to Jim Jordan, the Trump-supporting head of the House of Representatives’ Judiciary Committee, Mr Zuckerberg wrote: “In 2021, senior officials from the Biden administration, including the White House, repeatedly pressured our teams for months to censor certain Covid-19 content, including humour and satire, and expressed a lot of frustration with our teams when we didn’t agree.
“Ultimately, it was our decision whether or not to take content down, and we own our decisions, including Covid-19-related changes we made to our enforcement in the wake of this pressure.
“I believe the government pressure was wrong, and I regret that we were not more outspoken about it. I also think we made some choices that, with the benefit of hindsight and new information, we wouldn’t make today.
“Like I said to our teams at the time, I feel strongly that we should not compromise our content standards due to pressure from any administration in either direction – and we’re ready to push back if something like this happens again.”
During the pandemic, Facebook added misinformation alerts to users when they commented on or liked posts that were judged to contain false information about Covid.
It also deleted posts criticising the Covid vaccine, or suggesting that Covid was developed in a Chinese laboratory, a theory that has since become supported by some mainstream scientists and government agencies.
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In the 2020 election campaign, Mr Biden had accused Facebook of “killing people” by not clamping down on Covid posts more enthusiastically. He later rowed back on the comments.
Mr Zuckerberg also said Facebook was wrong to suppress a New York Post story about Hunter Biden, Mr Biden’s son, which revealed that Hunter had offered business contacts access to his father when he was vice president.
Facebook demoted a New York Post story about Hunter Biden which claimed he had offered contacts access to his father when he was vice-president Credit: Craig Hudson/Reuters
He said the FBI had warned the company about a “potential Russian disinformation operation” about the Biden family. Facebook had demoted the story while it was reviewed by fact checkers, which Mr Zuckerberg said was a mistake.
The Hunter Biden laptop story, which was blocked by Twitter after it was published, was potentially damaging to Mr Biden’s election campaign. Blocking it has been seen by Republicans as proof of Silicon Valley’s Left-wing influence.
Elon Musk released a series of internal emails about the decision to block the story after buying Twitter.
The Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee called Mr Zuckerberg’s admissions a “big win for free speech”.
Meanwhile, the White House defended its actions.
It said: “When confronted with a deadly pandemic, this administration encouraged responsible actions to protect public health and safety.
“Our position has been clear and consistent: we believe tech companies and other private actors should take into account the effects their actions have on the American people, while making independent choices about the information they present.”
RabzonKhan
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Trump unintentionally commended Kamala on Thursday during a stop at the southern border in Cochise County, Arizona.
During his comments to journalists, Trump said, "you can't go into San Francisco. It's not livable. Fifteen years ago, it was the best city in the country, one of the best cities in the world, and now you can't do anything. Look at what she's done, and now she's going to be president. And she's going to do the exact same thing."
Fifteen years ago, however, Kamala was San Francisco's district attorney.
Kornacki breaks down the shift in North Carolina toward Harris
During his comments to journalists, Trump said, "you can't go into San Francisco. It's not livable. Fifteen years ago, it was the best city in the country, one of the best cities in the world, and now you can't do anything. Look at what she's done, and now she's going to be president. And she's going to do the exact same thing."
Fifteen years ago, however, Kamala was San Francisco's district attorney.
Davey Crockett
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AIPAC Officially Surpasses $100 Million in Spending on 2024 Elections
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has spent more than $100 million on federal elections so far this cycle, according to a review of the latest FEC data.
AIPAC’s PAC has spent $44.8 million as of the end of July, according to the FEC, with $42 million given to the campaigns of members of Congress and other candidates, as well as to party groups and leadership PACs.
The vast majority of AIPAC PAC’s spending has come in the form of earmarked donations made by individuals in the United States who support the pro-Israel group.
readsludge.com
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has spent more than $100 million on federal elections so far this cycle, according to a review of the latest FEC data.
AIPAC’s PAC has spent $44.8 million as of the end of July, according to the FEC, with $42 million given to the campaigns of members of Congress and other candidates, as well as to party groups and leadership PACs.
The vast majority of AIPAC PAC’s spending has come in the form of earmarked donations made by individuals in the United States who support the pro-Israel group.
AIPAC Officially Surpasses $100 Million in Spending on 2024 Elections
The pro-Israel group passed the $100 million spending mark in July, according to new FEC information.
readsludge.com
Davey Crockett
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Nope.Fifteen years ago, however, Kamala was San Francisco's district attorney.
George Gascón - Wikipedia
Yommie
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'Deliberate abuse of power': Republicans erupt after bombshell Zuckerberg letter on COVID-19 censorship
House Republicans are affirming their belief that the Biden administration acted to censor free speech online after a bombshell letter from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
www.foxnews.com
'Deliberate abuse of power': Republicans erupt after bombshell Zuckerberg letter on COVID-19 censorship
Zuckerberg admitted his company bowed to 'repeated' pressure by the Biden-Harris administration to censor posts
By Elizabeth ElkindPublished August 28, 2024 4:54pm EDT
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Zuckerberg doing ‘cleanup on aisle six’: Gianno Caldwell
House Republicans are claiming vindication after Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg admitted his company was pressured by the Biden-Harris administration to "censor certain COVID-19 content" during the pandemic."For too long, the Harris-Biden admin pressured social media companies to censor Americans' views online. This was a deliberate abuse of power to stifle free speech," Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), the House GOP's campaign arm, said on X.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., the No. 3 Republican leader, said on the site, "Mark Zuckerberg's letter to [the House Judiciary Committee] leaves no room for doubt: this was an intentional assault on our First Amendment rights. This abuse of power must end now."
TRUMP BLASTS META AND GOOGLE AFTER USERS CLAIM COMPANIES CENSORED ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT SEARCHES
Facebook co-founder and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg sent a letter detailing pressure by the Biden administration on COVID information. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Zuckerberg wrote to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, earlier this week that he wished he and his company had been more outspoken about government censorship concerns in 2021.
"Ultimately, it was our decision whether or not to take content down, and we own our decisions, including COVID-19-related changes we made to our enforcement in the wake of this pressure," the billionaire Facebook founder said. "I believe the government pressure was wrong, and I regret that we were not more outspoken about it."
Zuckerberg said the administration "repeatedly pressured our teams for months," though he noted, "We regularly hear from governments around the world and others with various concerns around public discourse and public safety."
JORDAN PRESSES FTC CHAIR ON ELON MUSK ‘OBSESSION’ AS TWITTER ASKS COURT TO END GOVERNMENT DATA OVERSIGHT
Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, was among the Republicans speaking out. (Reuters/Mike Segar)
Jordan has been conducting a monthslong investigation into whether the Biden administration colluded with social media companies to suppress free speech, something the White House has pushed back against.
But Republicans now say Zuckerberg's letter is proof their suspicions were correct.
"Zuckerberg admitted that the Biden-Harris regime pressured him to censor conservative voices. There must be accountability within the federal government," Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., wrote on X.
GOP LAWMAKERS INVESTIGATING META'S NEW THREADS PLATFORM OVER POTENTIAL CENSORSHIP
Zuckerberg accused the Biden administration of trying to censor certain COVID-19 information. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., said, "Wow. If it wasn’t glaringly obvious enough already (it was), Zuckerberg is now coming clean and admitting that Facebook censored information at the request of the Biden-Harris WH. It’s time to finally hold Big Tech accountable for their blatant censorship of conservatives."
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
"When confronted with a deadly pandemic, this administration encouraged responsible actions to protect public health and safety," the White House said Tuesday of Zuckerberg's letter.
"Our position has been clear and consistent: We believe tech companies and other private actors should take into account the effects their actions have on the American people, while making independent choices about the information they present."
Fox News' Kate Sprague contributed to this report.
RabzonKhan
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Exclusive: Kamala Harris surges ahead of Donald Trump in latest poll taken after DNC
Harris has succeeded in doing what Biden never could this year: Lead Trump.
Susan PageSavannah KucharSudiksha Kochi USA TODAYAug. 29, 2024
Democrat Kamala Harris has surged ahead of Republican Donald Trump, 48%-43%, a new USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll found.
The findings reflect an eight-point turnaround in the presidential race from late June, when Trump had led President Joe Biden in the survey by nearly four points.
The vice president's small lead was fueled by big shifts among some key demographic groups traditionally crucial for Democrats, including Hispanic and Black voters and young people. Among those with annual incomes of less than $20,000, in the biggest change, a three-point Trump edge over Biden in June has become a 23-point Harris advantage over Trump in August.
She has succeeded in doing what Biden never could this year: Lead Trump. Her advantage is within the survey's margin of error, and the poll was taken in the wake of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, which rallied party spirits.
At least for the moment, though, the findings reflect momentum in Harris' direction as the sprint to the general election is poised to begin.
The poll of 1,000 likely voters, taken by landline and cell phone Sunday through Wednesday, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. With the election approaching, the survey is now measuring likely voters; previous polls were of registered voters.
Without the customary rounding of results, her edge would be closer to four points than five, 47.6% to 43.3%.
The success of 'Brat Summer' and targeted appeals
The findings underscore the success of the targeted appeals at the Democratic convention last week."With the 'Brat Summer' of Kamala Harris emojis winding down, young people, persons of color, and low-income households have swung dramatically toward the vice president," said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center. "These same demographics were emphasized and woven together by numerous speakers at the convention."
Among the biggest shifts since June, all outside the poll's margin of error:
- Voters 18 to 34 years old moved from supporting Trump by 11 points to supporting Harris by 13 points, 49%-36%.
- Hispanics, a group the Republican campaign has been cultivating, moved from supporting Trump by 2 points to supporting Harris by 16 points, 53%-37%.
- Black voters, traditionally one of the most overwhelmingly Democratic groups, moved from supporting Biden by 47 points to supporting Harris by 64 points, 76%-12%.
RabzonKhan
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Let’s do some math, 2024 – 15 = 2009. Kamla Harris was District Attorney from 2004-2011.
According to the article you posted; “In 2011, after Kamala Harris was elected California Attorney General, Newsom appointed him to be the San Francisco district attorney.”
To get further clarification, you might want to read this article:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_District_Attorney's_Office
Kamala D. Harris (2004–2011)
Davey Crockett
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Davey Crockett
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LOL! Misread article.
Still, Harris had a national reputation, even back then, not doing much on the job.
'Not To Be Trusted': Harris Caught Inflating Prosecutorial Record in 2003 DA Campaign
Vice President Kamala Harris was caught inflating her prosecutorial record when she was running for San Francisco district attorney in 2003, according to resurfaced audio of a debate and copies of mailers sent out by Harris’s campaign at the time, ABC News reported Thursday.
freebeacon.com
'Not To Be Trusted': Harris Caught Inflating Prosecutorial Record in 2003 DA Campaign
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