A Meta executive who leaves a legacy of censorship hypocritically pontificated about “transparency,” “accountability” and the pride he has in his work as a top executive with the election-interfering platforms.
Months after Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg finally admitted to censoring Americans’ free speech after government pressure, global policy chief Nick Clegg is stepping down, and he seems to have no regrets about Meta’s lack of transparency and censorship under his watch. In a thread on X Jan. 2, Clegg thanked Zuckerberg and former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg for taking him on at the company and even attempted to prop up his incoming replacement Joel Kaplan.
“Clegg, along with Zuckerberg and former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg oversaw perhaps the worst censorship era in American history,” said MRC Free Speech America Director Michael Morris. “And yet, without even mentioning the vast amounts of censorship and election interference the platforms he helped lead wrought on the U.S. and the world, he outrageously expects Americans to forget the past and accept his endorsement of his replacement. Unless Meta changes directions, not just names, Americans should expect more of the same from the thus-far anti-free speech company.”
Clegg tried to frame his tenure as a rousing success. “As a new year begins, I have come to the view that this is the right time for me to move on from my role as President, Global Affairs at Meta. It truly has been an adventure of a lifetime!” Clegg wrote in a statement on X. “I am proud of the work I have been able to do leading and supporting teams across the company to ensure innovation can go hand in hand with increased transparency and accountability, and with new forms of governance.” Clegg openly bragged back in July ahead of the 2024 U.S. election that Meta was “getting better” at silencing election-related “disinformation.”
He continued on X, “My time at the company coincided with a significant resetting of the relationship between ‘big tech’ and the societal pressures manifested in new laws, institutions and norms affecting the sector. I hope I have played some role in seeking to bridge the very different worlds of tech and politics – worlds that will continue to interact in unpredictable ways across the globe.” There was indeed a resetting under Clegg, as the landmark Murthy v. Missouri lawsuit revealed that the federal government, particularly under Biden, pressured and coordinated with social media companies to censor online free speech.
Clegg went on to praise Zuckerberg and Sandberg for hiring him at Meta. “I will be forever grateful to Mark and Sheryl Sandberg for taking me on in the first place – and to the many colleagues and teams I have had the good luck to work with ever since,” wrote Clegg. “It has been an extraordinary privilege to gain a front row insight into what makes Silicon Valley such an enduring hub of world leading innovation.”
Clegg’s co-executives also suppressed free speech. Zuckerberg, despite pro-free speech claims, has repeatedly caved to government pressure and enacted massive censorship measures, including censoring the Hunter Biden laptop scandal in 2020 after FBI priming. MRC found that censorship of the scandal swung the 2020 election in Joe Biden‘s favor. As for Sandberg, she was also part of Meta’s censorship regime, being particularly radical on the abortion debate. Sandberg also defiantly said she was “glad” that Facebook had decided to ban then-President Donald Trump’s account in 2021.
After lauding Sandberg and Zuckerberg, Clegg then propped up his incoming replacement Joel Kaplan, the former President George W. Bush appointee who worked under Clegg while Meta platforms suppressed Americans’ speech. “And I am simply thrilled that my deputy, Joel Kaplan, will now become Meta’s Chief Global Affairs Officer,” wrote Clegg. “Over the years that we have worked together, we have become good friends as well as close colleagues – I have laughed with, as well as learned from, Joel in equal measure,” Clegg posted. “He is quite clearly the right person for the right job at the right time! I much look forward to spending the next few months handing over the reins to Joel before finally leaving Meta after so many enjoyable years at the company.” Meta users who were censored under Clegg are less likely to call them “enjoyable years.”
At the beginning of 2024, Clegg admitted on CNBC News that a majority of his company’s employees (about 60%, or 40,000 employees) were involved in censorship activities.
Conservatives are under attack. Contact Facebook headquarters at (650) 308-7300 and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency, clarity on “misinformation” and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us using CensorTrack’s contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.
