In a surprising turn of events, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has reversed his stance on government control over virtual platforms, according to an opinion editorial by Pat Gray in The Blaze.
This is a stark contrast to his 2018 position, where he appeared to be in favor of government overreach.
Zuckerberg recently wrote a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), accusing the Biden administration of "repeatedly pressuring" Meta to censor COVID-19 posts and suppress the Hunter Biden "laptop from hell" story in 2021. This has led to speculation that Zuckerberg may be attempting to align himself with Donald Trump, whose return to power seems increasingly likely.
The authenticity of Zuckerberg's sudden change of heart is being questioned. Is it a genuine shift in perspective, or a strategic move to align with the changing political landscape?
Pat Gray and his team at Unleashed delve into this issue. Gray points out that the social media censorship extended beyond COVID narratives and Hunter Biden discussions. It was, in his words, a "dissenting voice."
When asked directly if the administration was pressuring social media companies to curtail free speech, then Bidens press secretary Jen Psaki stated: We dont shut anything down. We dont block anything. Our point is that there is information that is leading to people not taking the vaccine, and people are dying as a result. And we have a responsibility as a public health matter to raise that issue.
Gray interprets this as a tacit admission of government pressure, arguing that while the government may not have directly removed information, it coerced social media platforms with implicit threats.
Zuckerberg's recent admission has brought the reality of government censorship into the open. However, Gray remains skeptical about the sincerity of Zuckerberg's reversal, questioning the timing of this change.
He speculates that Zuckerberg might be trying to curry favor with the next administration, given his past advocacy for government regulation of the internet.
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