US Justice Dept vows not to pressure social media firms to censor content

The US Justice Department will not pressure social media companies to remove or block content when the government shares information about foreign threats to national security or elections, after claims that platforms were previously coerced.

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The department unveiled policy principles on Sept 3 on how national security officials will engage with social media companies while protecting constitutional rights, especially heading into 2024's presidential election.

The move is intended to address criticism that US government agencies have abused their powers and violated free speech when engaging with companies about how their platforms are being used by foreign adversaries to spread misinformation and stoke political turmoil.

Meta Platforms Inc chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg renewed the controversy in a recent letter to a congressional committee, alleging that Facebook was "pressured" by the Biden administration to censor Covid-related content and saying that he regrets the company's decision to agree to the demands. "The government pressure was wrong, and I regret that we were not more outspoken about it," he wrote.