Mark Zuckerberg admits Facebook censored Hunter Biden laptop story during 2020 U. S. elections
The Hindu
Mark Zuckerberg, speaking to podcast host Joe Rogan, admitted that Facebook actively suppressed a controversial expose on U. S. President Joe Biden’s son a week ahead of the 2020 elections
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has admitted that the social networking site censored a story about U. S. President Joe Biden’s son during the 2020 U. S. presidential elections. During an episode of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast for Spotify, Mr. Zuckerberg confessed that a New York Post story that published alleged leaked emails from Hunter Biden’s laptop was suppressed by Facebook as the following a directive from the FBI to contain election misinformation.
The exclusive story claimed that a laptop abandoned by Hunter Biden had details of him using his father’s influence — when Joe Biden was vice-president in the Barack Obama government — to seal a deal with a Ukrainian businessman. The story was met with scepticism by most mainstream media organisations as the evidence could not be verified by any other parties. It also came out just one week before the election that pit Joe Biden against incumbent Donald Trump.
Facebook’s engineers downgraded the report on the site’s “ranking and newsfeed” features, so “fewer people saw it than would have otherwise,” said Mr. Zuckerberg.
Mr. Zuckerberg also pointed out that the company decided to limit the story’s reach as the FBI reached out to Facebook around the time of the story’s publishing to warn that “there was a lot of Russian propaganda in the 2016 election”. Facebook decided that the report “fit the pattern” of the warning
While Facebook limited the reach of the story, Twitter blocked users entirely from sharing it publicly or privately, which Mr. Zuckerberg said is where his website acted differently.
“Our protocol is different from Twitter. Twitter said... you can’t share this at all. We didn’t do that. What we did was... if something is reported to us as potential misinformation, we also run third-party fact-checking programs because we don’t want to be deciding what’s true and false.
“I think it was five or seven days when it was basically being determined whether it was false, the distribution of Facebook was decreased, but people were still allowed to share it,” Mr. Zuckerberg told Joe Rogan.
Hong Kong's upcoming legislative election faces low turnout as residents mourn a devastating fire that claimed 159 lives.
Harvard professor Carlos Portugal Gouvea arrested for discharging a pellet gun near a synagogue; agrees to leave the U.S.
Macron cautioned Zelenskyy that the U.S. might pressure Ukraine into territorial concessions to Russia without security guarantees.
A Canadian national was arrested at the Indo-Nepal border for using a fake immigration stamp on his passport.
Appeals court permits Trump to maintain National Guard deployment in D.C., reversing a lower court's order to withdraw troops.
Iraq retracts its terror designation of Hezbollah and Houthis, citing an error amid regional political pressures and public backlash.
U.S. military strikes drug boats amid scrutiny over legality and rising casualties, prompting investigations and conflicting congressional testimonies.
Indian envoy Santosh Jha meets Sri Lanka’s Housing Minister to discuss reconstruction efforts following Cyclone Ditwah's devastating impact.
The U.S. and Kenya sign a $2.5 billion health deal, marking the start of "America First" global health agreements.
Explore the resilience and daily realities of Ukrainians enduring relentless warfare in a country forever changed by conflict.
Trump's envoys engage with Ukraine amid eased sanctions on Russia, seeking to advance peace negotiations following recent talks with Putin.
Explore China's rural revitalization efforts, showcasing poverty alleviation, local spirit, and sustainable development in its diverse landscapes.
UN Security Council delegates visit Syria for the first time since 1945, aiming to build trust and support national reconciliation.