Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg acknowledges Silicon Valley left-wing bias
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged in congressional testimony on Tuesday a left-wing bias in Silicon Valley.
During the long-awaited hearing on Capitol Hill, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, accused Facebook and other technology companies of engaging in "bias and political censorship."
Zuckerberg responded: “I understand where that concern is coming from because Facebook and the tech industry are located in Silicon Valley, which is an extremely left-leaning place.”
Cruz, a member of the Judiciary Committee, has been a vocal critic of tech companies over what many conservatives believe are attempts to limit traditional ideas on social media platforms.
The senator cited a report by Gizmodo that Facebook consistently suppressed content from businesses such as Chick-fil-A and conservative news outlets.
“This is actually a concern that I have tried to root out of the company in making sure that we don’t have any bias in the work that we do,” Zuckerberg said.
Cruz pressed Zuckerberg on his recollection regarding any ads or Facebook pages being taken down from Planned Parenthood or MoveOn.org.
Zuckerberg said he wasn’t “specifically aware” of the dismantling of any Facebook pages from left-leaning organizations or Democratic candidates.
When asked if he ever made any hiring decision based on political views, Zuckerberg said, “We do not generally ask people about their political orientation when they are joining the company.”