An engineer of Indian origin has made claims that Meta’s platforms systematically “demote” posts critical of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. In an undercover video shared by James O’Keefe, Jeevan Gyawali, a senior engineer at Meta, detailed how the company implements tactics to reduce visibility for posts that criticize Harris. The video, which has gained significant attention online, was even shared by Elon Musk, who reacted with a simple “Hmm.”
Is Meta Suppressing Anti-Kamala Harris Content?
The footage, released by the NYT bestselling author, was filmed during a hidden-camera conversation. In the viral clip, Gyawali is seen explaining to an undercover journalist from the O’Keefe Media Group that Meta’s algorithms and moderation tools “automatically demote” content criticizing Harris, without informing the users.
Gyawali shared an example, saying, “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 s**t is automatically demoted.” He further explained that users would not be notified, but they would notice a drop in engagement and impressions.
Meta’s ‘Integrity Team’ and Content Control
According to Gyawali, Meta’s “Integrity Team” is responsible for this process. This team controls platform content using “civic classifiers” that “shadowban” posts, ensuring users are unaware their content has been limited. He also confirmed that posts containing misinformation are “100% demoted.”
Meta’s Specialised ‘SWAT’ Team
Another key point in the 10-minute interview is Gyawali’s mention of Meta’s Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team, established to handle potential abuses of the platform. He said, “There is a SWAT team that’s already set up since April… just to think about all the scenarios of how the platform could be abused.”
Does Meta Influence Elections?
When asked if Meta has the power to sway election outcomes, Gyawali responded affirmatively, “Yes.” He admitted that Meta could potentially influence political results, further stating that Mark Zuckerberg is “100%” in support of Meta’s political agenda, specifically aligned with aiding the Democratic Party.