Top Democratic officials in the country, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Vice President Joe Biden, have significantly increased their critical rhetoric of social media giant Facebook and its founder Mark Zuckerberg, USA Today reports.
Pelosi accused Zuckerberg and Facebook of “shameful” and “irresponsible” behavior, while Biden said he had “never been a fan” of either, adding that he considers Zuckerberg to be “a real problem.”
The criticism stems from the ongoing debate about whether or not Facebook should censor certain political figures. In preparation for the upcoming 2020 presidential election, other social media giants have increased their censorship efforts. Twitter, in particular, has banned all political ads from its platform, as well as issued new rules for possible censorship of world leaders if they violate Twitter’s terms of service.
But unlike Twitter and others, Facebook has refused to take any further action, instead deferring to a more free speech-oriented approach. This has subsequently earned Zuckerberg the ire of many Democrats who accuse the social media giant of spreading “fake news” in a manner that they believe allowed President Trump to win the 2016 election.
The latest criticisms are also indicative of the broader scrutiny that Facebook and other Big Tech companies have come under in recent months, as part of a more bipartisan push for anti-trust action against such companies that have become too powerful, including Facebook, Twitter, Google, and others.