39 Times Facebook Has Interfered in US Elections

A new report from the Media Research Center

39 Times Facebook Has Interfered in US Elections Since 2012

BY Gabriela Pariseau and Dan Schnedier
The story of Facebook’s stance on protecting free speech online is a complicated one, but its history on election interference is clear: The Big Tech platform has repeatedly injected itself into contentious elections through its actions.

MRC Free Speech America researchers compiled 39 times Facebook was caught interfering in U.S. elections,
beginning in 2012, reaching a crescendo in 2020 following Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s pro-
free speech comments at Georgetown University in 2019.

From 2008 through 2024, Facebook has vacillated between a hands-off approach to free speech online
(Zuckerberg’s stated intent of not becoming an “arbiter of truth”) and repeated election interference through
policy changes and outright censorship of political candidates and ideas. Below are some of the highlights of
MRC’s findings:

• Facebook interfered in elections no less than 39 times, repeatedly harming candidates by censoring
content. Evidence shows that Facebook has repeatedly interfered in elections, overwhelmingly favoring
Democrats since 2012:
• In 2024, Meta platforms have censored the following presidential candidates: RFK, Jr. (I), Larry Elder (R)
and Jill Stein (G).
• In 2022, Meta’s censorship centered on Republicans, including Senate candidate Eric Greiten (MO),
congressional candidates Rich McCormick (GA) and Robby Starbuck (TN), gubernatorial candidates Kari
Lake (AZ) and Kay Ivey (AL).
• In 2021, it deleted Virginia gubernatorial candidate Amanda Chase’s account.
• In 2020, Facebook cranked up its censorship apparatus, with special focus on Donald Trump. It also shuttered political advertising one week before the election.
• Facebook’s infamous censorship of then-sitting President Donald Trump:
• Numerous Trump campaign ads, at least one pro-Trump Super PAC ad, numerous
anti-Biden-Harris ads prior to Nov. 4.
• Trump’s posts and ultimately his account indefinitely after Jan. 6.
• Other candidates affected by censorship included: Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Marjorie Taylor
Greene (R-GA) and Laura Loomer (R-FL).
• In 2018, Facebook censored various pro-life candidates, including Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Matt
Rosendale (R-MT).
• In 2016, Facebook suspended numerous pro-Trump pages and pro-Bernie Sanders groups; it also
artificially elevated liberal news in its Trending News section while blacklisting popular conservatives like
Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rand Paul (R-KY).
• In 2012, Facebook suspended a Veteran PAC for a meme drawing attention to the attack on Benghazi,
which served to benefit President Barack Obama (D).
• On at least three occasions, Facebook/Zuckerberg voiced support for free speech online, but after the
remarks, the Big Tech platform went in the opposite direction.
• In 2020, Zuckerberg said Big Tech platforms should not act as the “arbiter of truth” of speech online.
• Yet, Facebook censored and interfered in elections more aggressively than ever before, including
suppression of the Hunter Biden laptop story.
• In 2019 at Georgetown, Zuckerberg argued for “giving everyone a voice” and challenged those
prioritizing “political outcomes” over “free expression.”
• But following a series of so-called “civil rights” audits conducted by the left, COO Sheryl Sandberg
praised the leftist recommendations and committed to “put more of their proposals into
practice,” which she did.
• In 2016, after calling Trump a “fearful voice,” Zuckerberg and Facebook signaled they would “not” use
the company’s resources to prevent a Trump presidency.
• But Facebook censored pro-Trump pages, elevated liberal news in its Trending News section and
blacklisted “popular conservative topics.”
• A key inflection point in 2019 led to a cascade of Facebook election interference before the 2020
election that was demonstrably stolen by Big Media & Big Tech. Responding to left-wing backlash
following Trump’s 2016 victory, Facebook reached out to left-wing groups to conduct a series of audits
regarding how Facebook had “been used by hate groups, political entities, and others.” COO Sheryl Sandberg
stated that the audits were “deeply important to me” and that it would be “one of my top priorities.”
• Illinois State Senator Laura Murphy (D) conducted the leftist audits, which Sandberg claimed “helped
[Facebook] build upon crucial election-related efforts,” including censoring alleged “misinformation.”
• Murphy released the 89-page final report on July 8, 2020, which culminated in praise and commitment
from Sandberg to “put more of their proposals into practice.”

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