EXCLUSIVE: A top Republican senator will accuse Meta – the parent company of Facebook – of “shadow banning” and removing social media posts in a letter Tuesday demanding answers from CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, the top Republican on the Small Business committee, will, in part, cite a 2022 Washington Post report on social media companies’ “deamplification” of certain Facebook and Instagram content.
The report discussed Meta’s response to “problematic content,” which the executive at the time called “borderline” and argued must have reduced reach due to its proclivity to go viral.
In the letter addressed to Zuckerberg’s San Mateo County, California, office, Ernst alleged such content included that of the military as well as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Virginia.
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“Your platform, amongst others, provides an unparalleled opportunity to connect the U.S. military with younger generations. That is why I am concerned about Meta’s ongoing shadow banning and removal of the U.S. Armed Services’ posts,” Ernst wrote in the letter obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital.
“The defense of our nation is entirely dependent upon the voluntary enlistment of brave women and men willing to put their lives on the line so every American can freely speak their minds.”
In remarks to Fox News Digital, Ernst said Americans’ freedoms are only possible through the all-volunteer armed services, which she previously served in.
“I am concerned Meta’s algorithms are hindering our investment in connecting with and recruiting the next generation of warfighters,” she added.
“The service and sacrifice of the brave men and women in uniform should be celebrated, not restricted.”
In her letter, Ernst accused Meta of sporadically adjusting its violations policies without “clear rationale” and cited reports to Congress showing an increase in content-restriction on military-related postings.
Embedding an image of an Instagram violation warning on one particular post, Ernst listed a handful of such reports and their loss of cyber “reach.”
A six-hour suspension of a post on Feb. 29 resulted in the loss of 2,500 impressions and 500 engagements, while a similar situation on March 3 reduced a post’s reach by 5,000 impressions and 1,100 engagements.
Ten posts on the GoArmy social media account were flagged as violating guidelines over a three-day period in September, Ernst said, and the account was briefly put on “non-recommendable” status twice.
The senator said the Army’s public affairs office reported disruptions to several posts, including one featuring the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and one depicting soldiers onboard a helicopter.
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In turn, Ernst asked Zuckerberg to lay out the guidelines used to mediate military-related content and how they are communicated to account holders.
She also asked for an explanation as to the apparent suppression of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier post, and actions taken thus far to prevent future shadow-bans that shouldn’t occur.
The lawmaker also demanded an estimate on the cost of the official Pentagon-sanctioned ads that were suppressed.
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