META Meta Platforms Inc

By Ryan Tracy 

WASHINGTON -- Facebook Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg asserted his commitment to free speech over more aggressive policing of social-media platforms, in a rare policy speech that could have ramifications for the U.S. presidential campaign and social movements world-wide.

In a speech at Georgetown University, Mr. Zuckerberg said he believes it is dangerous for people to focus more on their desired political outcomes than giving a range of voices the opportunity to be heard. He compared the current moment of political polarization to other periods of intense social change, including the civil-rights movement.

"Some people believe that giving more people a voice is driving division rather than bringing people together," he said, reading from a teleprompter in an auditorium packed with students. "I am here today because I believe we must continue to stand for free expression."

Mr. Zuckerberg's speech on Thursday took place amid a brewing debate about whether Facebook should make judgments over whether political ads contain falsehoods, and days before the executive will appear on Capitol Hill to face lawmakers.

The speech 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 top gear.

While Mr. Zuckerberg has consistently cast himself as a defender of free expression, Facebook has spent much of the last two years trying to remediate public concerns about misinformation, hate speech and safety issues on its platform. Thursday's speech highlighted that the 35-year-old executive is worried about taking that too far.

The speech gave Mr. Zuckerberg a chance to address policy makers on his terms, a contrast to congressional hearings where lawmakers control the dialogue. He said ahead of the speech that he wanted to communicate "an unfiltered take" on how he views questions around free expression on Facebook.

The speech is also a part of Facebook's stepped-up effort to court allies in Washington -- a campaign that has included Mr. Zuckberberg meeting privately with President Donald Trump, lawmakers in both parties and conservative commentators such as Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

Facebook's standing in Washington has deteriorated since the 2016 election, with both parties criticizing the company for being a vehicle for disinformation and for repeatedly breaking its own promises to protect users' privacy.

This year, that political angst has hit the company's bottom line. Facebook agreed to pay a $5 billion fine for privacy violations in July, and its efforts to launch a new cryptocurrency-based payments network are in doubt due to criticism from policy makers. Most ominously, U.S. antitrust authorities, as well as state attorneys general, are investigating whether the company should face antitrust sanctions for abusing its market power.

Mr. Zuckerberg on Thursday acknowledged concerns about the company's power, but added, "I actually believe the much bigger story is how much these platforms have decentralized power by putting it directly into people's hands."

In response to rising regulatory threats, Mr. Zuckerberg has taken a much higher-profile role in Washington in recent months. He told his top lieutenants in a June meeting that he planned to lead the company more decisively during this critical phase.

A few weeks after the company disclosed the antitrust investigation by the Federal Trade Commission in July, Mr. Zuckerberg made a round of visits to key senators, including a dinner at a high-end downtown restaurant. Even critics such as Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D., Conn.) said they were pleased by the outreach.

This week he has been meeting more lawmakers, including the top Democrat and Republican on the House Financial Services Committee, where he is set to testify next week. By contrast, the company's most visible face for the past few years, operating chief Sheryl Sandberg, who has closer ties to Democrats, has had a lower profile in the nation's capital.

Mr. Zuckerberg's discussions with Republicans, and his defense Thursday of Facebook's policies regarding political speech, responds in particular to criticism from conservatives who have accused the company of censoring their speech. Facebook denies doing that.

Republicans at the Treasury Department, Justice Department and other key agencies also have the power to decide whether to bring an antitrust case against the company, as well as how strictly to regulate its cryptocurrency.

Outreach to Republicans isn't without risk. After his speech, Mr. Zuckerberg was set to tape an interview on Fox News. Media Matters, a nonprofit group critical of that network, on Thursday cited the interview and Mr. Zuckerberg's meeting with Mr. Carlson as evidence of "Facebook's CEO acting like a fully indoctrinated conservative puppet."

Democratic presidential candidates Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden have also criticized the company for its policy not to take down political ads, even when those ads contain false statements. Ms. Warren has called for breaking up the company, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Mr. Zuckerberg wrote that he has "dinners with lots of people across the spectrum on lots of different issues all the time."

On Thursday, he said technology companies shouldn't censor politicians in a democracy.

"I don't think most people want to live in a world where you can only post things that tech companies believe to be 100% true," he said. "We think people should be able to see for themselves what politicians are saying."

Mr. Zuckerberg's speech evoked political themes. He mentioned "Air Force moms," church groups and small businesses that use the company's products. He touted Facebook's creation of an oversight board to weigh in on decisions about appropriate content.

He also emphasized Facebook's American roots, pointing out the company remains blocked in China because it hasn't been willing to concede to regulations there: "If another nation's platform set the rules, our discourse could be defined by a completely different set of values," he said.

At the start of the speech, he paused to acknowledge the death of Rep. Elijah Cummings (D., Md.), calling him a "a powerful voice for equality and for social progress and for bringing people together."

--John McKinnon contributed to this article.

Write to Ryan Tracy at ryan.tracy@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 17, 2019 14:49 ET (18:49 GMT)

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