EXCLUSIVE: GOP Reps Probe Zuckerberg, Meta For Hiding ‘Political And Social’ Content From Users’ Feeds
Two Republican lawmakers are pressing Meta over a decision to proactively opt users out of having “political and social” content suggested to them on two of the company’s social media platforms. Republican Texas Reps…
Two Republican lawmakers are pressing Meta over a decision to proactively opt users out of having “political and social” content suggested to them on two of the company’s social media platforms.
Republican Texas Reps. August Pfluger and Dan Crenshaw wrote a letter to Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s CEO and founder, and Javier Olivan, Meta COO, requesting information from the firm about its February policy decision to start actively shielding users from “political and social” content on Instagram and Threads, platforms owned and operated by Meta. The two lawmakers contend that Meta’s decision to do so is questionable because users are capable of choosing out content that they want to engage with, and because it hinders the flow of information to citizens about the actions of elected officials.
“Meta is making its own decisions on what content from their elected representatives a user sees rather than acting as a platform for all views. Your announcement mentions that this decision will not affect how a user views content. Conservative voices deserve the continued opportunity to use social media platforms such as Instagram to inform users of political and social issues, hold elected leaders responsible, and fight against disinformation,” the lawmakers wrote.
“It is crucial that company decisions do not undermine freedom of speech and expression. We believe that opting out of ‘political and social content’ is a decision that should be made by the user, not the platform,” they continued.