Facebook responds to Biden's criticism of misinformation policies, saying only 'elected officials' should dictate campaign rules

Mark Zuckerberg
(Image credit: CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP via Getty Images)

Facebook is pushing back as former Vice President Joe Biden gives its policies a dislike.

Biden's campaign on Thursday asked supporters to sign an open letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg demanding he "fix the problems in Facebook's platform that pose a threat to free and fair elections," as reported by The New York Times.

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In response, Facebook issued a statement saying "we live in a democracy, where the elected officials decide the rules around campaigns," and "just as they have done with broadcast networks — where the U.S. government prohibits rejecting politicians' campaign ads — the people's elected representatives should set the rules, and we will follow them." The company added, "There is an election coming in November and we will protect political speech, even when we strongly disagree with it."

Zuckerberg has repeatedly defended Facebook's decision not to fact-check political ads, and he has in recent weeks also defended leaving up posts by Trump that Twitter slapped with a warning label, including one with false claims about mail-in ballots. Facebook's choice to leave up these recent Trump posts has prompted internal criticism, resignations, and an employee walkout.

According to the Times, Biden's campaign had recently been writing to Facebook calling for changes, but after the recent posts by Trump, it "decided to take its fight public."

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.