Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is accusing Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta of election interference, claiming the social media giant censored the film, Who Is Bobby Kennedy? on Facebook and Instagram.
On Saturday, a political action committee (PAC) supporting Kennedy released a short biographical film about the candidate, narrated by actor Woody Harrelson, but viewers were unable to share the content on Facebook and Instagram, Kennedy’s team said.
Some social media users were told the video was spam or that the link redirected them to a malicious website. Others were told the video contained “graphic and violent content,” while others received a message from Meta saying the content violated community standards, RFK’s campaign explained.
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Kennedy’s team added that other social media users simply received an error message saying “upload failed,” and that in some cases, “Meta even removed comments referring to the removal of their posts.”
“If supporters of all candidates do not have equal access to the digital public square, then we have a democracy in name only,” Kennedy said in a press release. “This goes beyond restricting freedom of expression on issues and ideas.”
“Meta is censoring a biographical film about a major candidate in an election year,” the Independent presidential candidate added. “How can voters make an informed choice if they are denied basic information about a candidate’s life?”
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks to supporters during a campaign event, Saturday, April 13, 2024, in West Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
After Meta’s “tactics attracted unwelcome attention,” the company “changed strategies” by allowing the video to be uploaded, “but algorithmically suppressing the video, to the point where the video gets zero views even when posted by users with thousands of followers,” Kennedy’s campaign claimed.
“Not only were users prevented from posting the video, but in many cases Meta also suspended their accounts for two or six days,” RFK’s team added.
Now, the Kennedy Super PAC says it will file a lawsuit against Meta, alleging the Facebook and Instagram parent company “brazenly” censored its documentary.
Meta spokesperson Andy Stone denied the allegations, saying the RFK video “was mistakenly blocked, and it was corrected within a few hours.”
American Values Super PAC founder Tony Lyons argued, “When social media companies censor a presidential candidate, the public can’t learn what that candidate actually believes and what policies they would pursue if elected.”
“We are left with the propaganda and lies from the most powerful and most corrupt groups and individuals,” Lyons said. “This is the hallmark of an oligarchy — not a democracy.”
This would not be the first time Meta engaged in what many would call “election interference” by censoring candidate-related material from the public.
As Breitbart News reported in October 2020, Facebook infamously reduced the distribution of a New York Post story containing bombshell information indicating that then-presidential candidate Joe Biden allegedly met with an adviser to the board of Burisma while he was vice president, arranged by his son Hunter, who was then working as a lobbyist for the company.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and X/Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.