Zuck’s on offense

Defends right to free speech on FB

Mark Zuckerberg has spent the past two years apologizing to a chorus of critics for misinformation, privacy violations and more. On Thursday, the Facebook chief executive went on the offense, asserting a commitment to free expression as consistent with American values.

In a rare policy speech that will likely stir further debate over his company’s role in politics and global social movements, Zuckerberg said he worries that “increasingly today across the spectrum, it seems like there are more people who prioritize getting the political outcomes that they want over making sure that everyone can be heard.”

“I am here today because I believe we must continue to stand for free expression,” he said in a talk at Georgetown University that cast Facebook as being in line with a tradition spanning the First Amendment and the civilrights movement.

Zuckerberg’s speech took place amid brewing disagreements about whether Facebook should make judgments over whether political ads contain falsehoods, and days before he will appear on Capitol Hill to face lawmakers.

Later Thursday, he said social-media platforms should not censor President Trump and other politicians.

“My belief is that in a democracy, I don’t think that we want private companies censoring politicians in the news,” Zuckerberg said in an interview with Fox News reporter Dana Perino set to air on Friday.

Zuckerberg was responding to a question about Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris calling for Twitter to suspend Trump’s account.

The CEO’s comments will likely inflame critics, mostly from the left, who have argued the company should do more to prevent the spread of misinformation as the 2020 presidential campaign roars into high gear. At the same time, his speech was unlikely to fully satisfy critics on the right, who complain frequently about what they see as big-tech censorship.