Quick Hit: 

An undercover video by James O’Keefe's media group claims that a Meta engineer admitted Facebook demotes anti-Kamala Harris content, potentially influencing political discourse ahead of the 2024 election.

Key Details:  

• Jeevan Gyawali, a senior software engineer at Meta, allegedly revealed that Facebook demotes posts critical of Kamala Harris.  
• In a hidden camera interview, Gyawali claimed Meta uses "civic classifiers" to reduce the visibility of political content without notifying users.  
• Meta’s Integrity Team is reportedly responsible for implementing shadowbans and demotions, impacting posts that could influence the 2024 election.

Diving Deeper: 

James O’Keefe has released new footage alleging that Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is actively demoting posts critical of Vice President Kamala Harris. In the undercover video, Jeevan Gyawali, a senior software engineer at Meta, appeared to confirm the existence of internal mechanisms designed to suppress content targeting political figures, specifically Harris.

Gyawali, caught on a hidden camera, seemed to explain that posts critical of Harris—such as remarks questioning her qualifications for the presidency—are "automatically demoted." He used the example of an Ohio resident posting about Harris's personal life to highlight how certain content could be targeted. “That kind of shit is automatically demoted,” he reportedly said.

The video, published by O’Keefe Media Group, also suggests that Meta employs a system called "civic classifiers," which is designed to shadowban political content. Gyawali explained that users whose posts are demoted would not be notified, and the visibility of their posts would decrease significantly. According to Gyawali, this practice is part of Meta's broader efforts to moderate content, managed by its Integrity Team.

Gyawali also acknowledged that Meta’s influence could extend into the 2024 election. He suggested that Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s founder and CEO, backs this approach, potentially giving the platform the ability to shape political discussions leading up to the election.

Despite the revealing claims, O’Keefe noted that the video’s context may require further scrutiny. The undercover journalist arranged a meeting with Gyawali through the dating app Bumble, raising questions about whether some of the claims were exaggerated in an attempt to impress. When contacted for comment, Gyawali reportedly responded with "ah, fuck" before ending the call.

The full scope of Meta's content moderation practices remains unclear, but the footage raises concerns about the platform's role in political discourse and its potential bias against conservative viewpoints.