Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11) and Congressman Dan Crenshaw (TX-02) recently addressed a letter to Mark Zuckerberg, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Meta Platforms, and Javier Olivan, Chief Operating Officer of Meta Platforms. The lawmakers requested explanations for the decision to proactively opt users out of recommended "political and social content" on Instagram and Threads.
In their letter, Pfluger and Crenshaw stated: “Meta is making its own decisions on what content from their elected representatives a user sees rather than acting as a platform for all views. Your announcement mentions that this decision will not affect how a user views content. Conservative voices deserve the continued opportunity to use social media platforms such as Instagram to inform users of political and social issues, hold elected leaders responsible, and fight against disinformation."
The full text of the letter reads:
Dear Mr. Zuckerberg and Mr. Olivan:
We write to express our concerns over Meta Platforms, Inc.’s decision on February 9, 2024, to proactively opt users out of being recommended “political and social content” across “Instagram” and “Threads.”
Pew Research reports that half of all U.S. adults consume their news through social media. Connecting with constituents allows Members of Congress and other officials to quickly and accessibly share what their elected representatives are doing for them. This includes anything from announcing town halls, sharing floor speeches, announcing legislation, and even hosting live streams to discuss important current events. Social media has also allowed users to stay informed of policy decisions at all levels of government, including public service announcements like emergency updates. Limiting official government accounts from being able to reach their constituents is a disservice to all those we represent. This policy change hampers our ability to effectively serve our constituents and prevents citizens from being informed about the actions of their federal, state, and local government agencies and officials.
Meta is making its own decisions on what content from their elected representatives a user sees rather than acting as a platform for all views. Your announcement mentions that this decision will not affect how a user views content. Conservative voices deserve the continued opportunity to use social media platforms such as Instagram to inform users about political and social issues, hold elected leaders responsible, and fight against disinformation. It is crucial that company decisions do not undermine freedom of speech and expression.
We believe that opting out of “political and social content” is a decision that should be made by the user, not the platform. As advocates for free speech and the free flow of information, we respectfully request that you reconsider this decision and provide answers to the following questions by July 5, 2024.
1. Why did Meta implement this policy now? Why was it limited to “political and social content?”
2. Has Meta examined implementing a similar policy for other types of content? If yes, provide any documentation.
3. What is your definition of “political and social content?” What distinguishes it from other categories?
4. Does this policy differentiate between official government accounts or campaign accounts associated with current government officials?
5. How are you communicating this change? How will creators know if their account or content has been labeled as “political or social”?
6.How does this affect posts made by government agencies informing the public about decisions? Does it impact public service announcements?
7.What was the reasoning behind automatically opting users out rather than providing them with an option?
Sincerely,
Rep. August Pfluger
Rep. Dan Crenshaw