In a new undercover video released by James O’Keefe and his O’Keefe Media Group (OMG), a senior Meta engineer, Jeevan Gyawali, revealed that Meta employs strategies to “demote” posts critical of Vice President Kamala Harris.
The footage, recorded during a hidden-camera interaction, shows Gyawali explaining how Meta’s algorithms and content moderation practices reduce the visibility of certain politically charged posts without informing the users. He gave the example of someone posting about Harris being “unfit to be president because she doesn’t have a child,” which would be automatically down-ranked to prevent its reach.
BREAKING: Senior Meta Engineer Reveals Anti-Kamala Posts Are "Automatically Demoted,” Admits Shadowbanning Tactics
— James O'Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) October 16, 2024
"Say your uncle in Ohio said something about Kamala Harris is unfit to be a president because she doesn't have a child, that kind of sh*t is automatically demoted,”… pic.twitter.com/4DSkvzvKmO
Gyawali went on to describe how Meta’s “Integrity Team” uses tools like “civic classifiers” to shadowban posts, meaning content is made less visible without the user knowing their post’s engagement is being stifled. The discussion implies that Meta is actively moderating posts related to misinformation or topics deemed harmful to democracy, with Gyawali confirming that posts they consider disinformation are “100% demoted.”
In a particularly telling moment, when the undercover journalist asked whether Meta has the power to influence elections, Gyawali said, “Yes,” acknowledging that the company has the ability to sway political outcomes. He also confirmed that CEO Mark Zuckerberg fully supports these efforts to assist the Democratic Party.
Another startling revelation from the video was the mention of a Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) team at Meta, created to manage “scenarios” where the platform could be exploited during political events, particularly around elections.
The video has reignited debates over social media censorship and political bias, with many questioning the neutrality of major tech companies in moderating political content. Elon Musk, CEO of X (formerly Twitter), weighed in on the controversy with a simple but telling comment: “Hmm.” Musk’s reaction mirrors the growing concern about the power platforms like Meta have in shaping public opinion and influencing democratic processes.
This revelation has sparked online discussions about transparency in social media platforms’ algorithms and their impact on free speech, especially in the context of political discourse. Many are calling for more oversight and clarity on how these tech giants control the flow of information.