Outgoing President Joe Biden concluded his presidency with a farewell address on Wednesday night, sharply criticizing what he termed the “tech-industrial complex” while urging tighter accountability for social media platforms. Ironically, Biden’s remarks highlighted the decline of free press and the dangers of “misinformation,” even as his administration has often been linked to censorship efforts and suppression of dissenting viewpoints.
During his speech, Biden drew parallels to President Dwight Eisenhower’s famous warning about the “military-industrial complex.” He stated, โSix decades later, Iโm equally concerned about the potential rise of a tech-industrial complex that could pose real dangers for our country as well.โ His comments painted a picture of concentrated power in the hands of tech oligarchs, whom he accused of enabling an “avalanche of misinformation and disinformation” to flourish unchecked.
The president, leaving office with historically low approval ratings, accused social media platforms of abandoning fact-checking efforts and contributing to the erosion of public trust. โThe free press is crumbling. Editors are disappearing. Social media is giving up on fact-checking,โ Biden said.
Bidenโs condemnation of social media fact-checking policies appeared aimed directly at Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, whose platform recently transitioned away from third-party fact-checking to a “community notes” model reminiscent of the system employed by Elon Musk’s X.
Throughout his presidency, Biden frequently championed tighter controls on digital platforms under the guise of protecting democracy and public health. However, critics argue his administrationโs push for censorship often targeted dissenting views and stifled legitimate debate.
Biden also lamented the decline of legacy media, suggesting that unchecked misinformation on digital platforms undermines democracy. โWe must hold the social platforms accountable to protect our children, our families, and our very democracy from the abuse of power,โ he declared.
The presidentโs rhetoric on misinformation is not without controversy. He has faced repeated accusations of spreading false or unverifiable claims himself, such as recent remarks regarding Los Angeles utilities during wildfire discussions that local officials disputed.
Regarding Covid vaccines, Biden also famously said: โYouโre not going to get COVID if you have these vaccinations,โ and added, โIf youโre vaccinated, youโre not going to be hospitalized, youโre not going to be in the IC unit, and youโre not going to die.โ Those who challenged this idea found themselves banned on several social media platforms.
Metaโs recently abandoned fact-checking model, which involved junior writers downgrading posts based on often-disputed analyses, has faced criticism for censoring accurate information that reflected poorly on Biden. The new community-based approach on X and Meta allows users to collaboratively evaluate content, signaling a move away from centralized content moderation.