- Several children injured in car crash at central China school
- Urban mosquito sparks malaria surge in East Africa
- Many children injured after car crashes at central China school: state media
- Asian markets rally after US bounce as Nvidia comes into focus
- Tens of thousands march in New Zealand Maori rights protest
- Five takeaways from the G20 summit in Rio
- Parts of Great Barrier Reef suffer highest coral mortality on record
- Defiant Lebanese harvest olives in the shadow of war
- Divided G20 fails to agree on climate, Ukraine
- Can the Trump-Musk 'bromance' last?
- US to call for Google to sell Chrome browser: report
- Trump expected to attend next Starship rocket launch: reports
- Stocks, dollar hesitant as traders brace for Nvidia earnings
- Biden in 'historic' pledge for poor nations ahead of Trump return
- Tropical storm Sara kills four in Honduras and Nicaragua
- Spanish resort to ban new holiday flats in 43 neighbourhoods
- Phone documentary details Afghan women's struggle under Taliban govt
- G20 wrestles with wars, 'turbulence' in run-up to Trump
- Stocks, dollar hesitant as traders eye US rate outlook, Nvidia
- G20 wrestles with wars, climate in run-up to Trump
- G20 host Brazil launches alliance to end 'scourge' of hunger
- Stocks, dollar hesitant as traders scale back US rate cut bets
- Trump confirms plan to use military for mass deportation
- UN climate chief at deadlocked COP29: 'Cut the theatrics'
- Tractor-driving French farmers protest EU-Mercosur deal
- Floods hit northern Philippines after typhoon forces dam release
- Markets mixed after Wall St losses as traders weigh US rates outlook
- Law and disorder as Thai police station comes under monkey attack
- Philippines cleans up as typhoon death toll rises
- Long delayed Ukrainian survival video game sequel set for release amid war
- Philippines cleans up after sixth major storm in weeks
- Markets swing after Wall St losses as traders weigh US rates outlook
- Gabon early results show voters back new constitution
- Is AI's meteoric rise beginning to slow?
- Biden touts climate legacy in landmark Amazon visit
- Biden clears Ukraine for long-range missile strikes inside Russia
- 'Nobody can reverse' US progress on clean energy: Biden
- Biden allows Ukraine to strike Russia with long-range missiles: US official
- Biden clears Ukraine for missile strikes inside Russia
- Ukrainians brave arduous journeys to Russian-occupied homeland
- 'Devil is in the details,' EU chief says of S.America trade deal
- Toll in Tanzania building collapse rises to 13, survivors trapped
- 'Red One' tops N.America box office but could end up in the red
- Biden begins historic Amazon trip amid Trump climate fears
- Macron defends French farmers in talks with Argentina's Milei
- India and Nigeria renew ties as Modi visits
- Typhoon Man-yi weakens as it crosses Philippines' main island
- 迪拜棕榈岛索菲特美憬阁酒店: 五星級健康綠洲
- The Retreat Palm Dubai MGallery by Sofitel: Пятизвездочный велнес-оазис
- The Retreat Palm Dubai MGallery by Sofitel: A five-star wellness Oasis
Meta CEO Zuckerberg says US pressure on Covid-19 posts was 'wrong'
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg believes US government pressure on his social media platforms to take down certain Covid-19 content in 2021 was "wrong," and said he would resist similar attempts in the future, according to a letter submitted to a US congressional committee.
In the letter, addressed to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and released by Republicans on the committee, Zuckerberg addressed a number of controversies centered on content moderation on his platforms.
He also asserted that he did not plan on repeating funding efforts for US election infrastructure ahead of the country's presidential poll this year, donations that had drawn sharp criticism from Republicans.
Zuckerberg's submission to the committee comes just over two months out from a tightly contested US presidential election race, with the spotlight on widespread online misinformation about the candidates.
Regarding the pandemic, the Facebook founder said the Biden administration had in 2021 "repeatedly pressured our teams for months to censor certain COVID-19 content, including humor and satire."
"I believe the government pressure was wrong, and I regret that we were not more outspoken about it," Zuckerberg wrote.
"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."
Republicans took the letter as a victory, with the Republicans' House Judiciary Committee account on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, labeling it a "big win for free speech."
Republicans in Congress have been targeting social media and tech companies in recent months, alleging that they are suppressing or censoring conservative views.
Zuckerberg also said he would not be repeating his Covid-era push to fund non-profits working to support US electoral infrastructure due to such donations being seen by Republicans as being partisan.
"My goal is to be neutral and not play a role one way or another -- or to even appear to be playing a role," he wrote.
The letter also touched on controversy regarding Facebook's handling of a story regarding US President Joe Biden's son Hunter that was published by the New York Post.
Zuckerberg said the story was "temporarily demoted" while Facebook fact checkers probed the possibility of it being "a potential Russian disinformation operation."
The Meta CEO said the story was ultimately found not to be part of such an operation and that the platform has changed its policy such that posts in the United States are no longer demoted while fact checkers investigate them.
M.P.Jacobs--CPN