Ripple CTO Says Meta’s Legal Defense Misses the Mark

• Ripple CTO criticizes Meta’s defense, arguing it fails to meet the legal standard for government interference.
• Meta’s handling of content moderation under government pressure is questioned, with legal implications highlighted.
• The ordinary firmness test is central to the Ripple CTO’s argument, challenging Meta’s justification.

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms, has admitted that his company collaborated with the Biden-Harris administration on content moderation efforts, as highlighted by Patrick Bet-David in a recent post on X. This revelation has ignited discussion and criticism among social media users regarding government influence on online platforms.

In a letter to a congressional committee, Zuckerberg expressed appreciation for the committee’s focus on content moderation. He mentioned that Meta has provided thousands of documents and facilitated interviews with several employees to assist the investigation. Zuckerberg emphasized Meta’s commitment to maintaining open platforms that promote free speech while ensuring user safety.

Zuckerberg detailed instances where senior officials from the Biden administration, including White House representatives, pressured Meta to remove specific COVID-19-related content. He acknowledged that the administration was displeased when Meta did not comply with their requests.

Despite this pressure, Zuckerberg asserted that Meta retained ultimate decision-making authority over content removal. He admitted regret over not being more outspoken against the administration’s influence and recognized that some decisions made under pressure might have been different in hindsight.

Additionally, Zuckerberg revealed that the FBI alerted Meta about a potential Russian disinformation campaign targeting the Biden family and Burisma before the 2020 election.

Following this warning, Meta temporarily demoted a New York Post article alleging corruption involving Joe Biden’s family while awaiting fact-checking results. It was later determined that the story was not connected to Russian disinformation, leading Meta to revise its policies to prevent similar actions in the future.

The announcement has prompted strong reactions from Meta users. Old School Eddie criticized the Biden-Harris administration for allegedly violating the First Amendment.

David Walker argued that the Supreme Court does not consider government pressure on social media as a violation of free speech, suggesting that Zuckerberg’s statement absolves the administration of responsibility.

Joel Katz responded by clarifying that the legal standard for government interference focuses solely on the actions taken by the government, regardless of the company’s independent decisions.