The following is from Senator Ron Johnson.
Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, has sent a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg demanding Facebook turn over records related to the alleged censorship of COVID-19 vaccine-injured individuals.
Johnson’s letter details how Facebook reportedly shut down vaccine injury support groups and even concealed private messages exchanged by affected individuals. These actions came to light in the book Worth a Shot?, which chronicles the experience of AstraZeneca clinical trial participant Brianne Dressen.
Within 24 hours of Johnson’s June 28, 2021, roundtable discussion on vaccine injuries, Facebook allegedly began removing support groups. The largest known COVID vaccine injury support group was shut down five days later.
Zuckerberg recently appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, where he stated that the Biden administration pressured Facebook to take down posts critical of COVID-19 vaccines, including posts that were factually accurate. He noted that officials “pushed [Facebook] super hard to take down things that were honestly true” and targeted “anything that says that vaccines might have side effects.”
“Facebook’s alleged censorship campaign against the vaccine injured, as detailed in Worth a Shot?, is the latest evidence of Big Tech’s efforts, in conjunction with the Biden administration, to silence anything critical of the COVID cartel and the vaccines.”
Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.)
Sen. Johnson’s letter demands Meta turn over all communications with federal entities related to vaccine-related censorship.
Read more about Chairman Johnson’s letter in Breitbart.
The full letter can be found here or below.
February 4, 2025
Mark Zuckerberg
Chief Executive Officer
Meta Platforms, Inc.
1601 Willow Road
Menlo Park, CA 94025
Dear Mr. Zuckerberg,
On June 28, 2021, I held a roundtable with individuals who experienced adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccines. Brianne Dressen was among those who came forward and spoke about her struggles with vaccine injuries following her participation in an AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine trial. Mrs. Dressen described how, despite the intensity of her symptoms, which began immediately after vaccination and included hearing problems, nausea, and loss of bodily function so severe she could barely eat, Mrs. Dressen was told by doctors that what was happening to her wasn’t real, instead blaming other illnesses such as anxiety. After connecting with other vaccine-injured individuals, Mrs. Dressen found relief in knowing that she was no longer alone, but this quickly turned to alarm as the numbers of vaccine injured grew.
Years later, in November 2024, Mrs. Dressen’s experiences with the repercussions of the COVID-19 vaccine were chronicled in a book entitled Worth a Shot?. The book also highlights Facebook’s apparent censorship of the vaccine injured.
According to the book, vaccine-injured individuals, such as Mrs. Dressen, utilized Facebook groups to connect with and support each other. The book alleges that within twenty-four hours of my June 28, 2021, roundtable, “Facebook started shutting down those groups.” In response, Mrs. Dressen and others coordinated efforts to gather members of these once-accessible Facebook support groups into a single Facebook group named “A Wee Sprinkle of Hope.” This group, which the book states was “the largest COVID vaccine injury support group in the world,” was then shut down by Facebook “five days after” my roundtable.
As reported in Worth a Shot?, Facebook’s apparent censorship campaign against the vaccine-injured went beyond merely shutting down their support groups. The book asserts that when individuals posted about their injuries on their own Facebook pages, warnings would be appended to the post, often without the posting individual’s knowledge, that “urged the viewer to go to Facebook’s Community Guidelines to get accurate information about the COVID vaccine.” Further, it appears that the intent of these warnings was to discourage other individuals from interacting with users that Facebook considered to be “repeat offenders of posting misinformation.” Vaccine-injured users were also reportedly shadowbanned—a technique used by social media platforms to limit the visibility of a user’s posts, often without their knowledge.
Worse still, the book alleges that Facebook censored private messages sent on the platform by limiting the recipient’s ability to even realize they had received a message. According to the book, one woman tragically took her own life following unanswered pleas for help that she messaged to other members of the Facebook vaccine-injured community. Sadly, it appears that those messages went unanswered because those Facebook users were unaware they received a message.
On January 10, 2025, The Joe Rogan Experience podcast published an interview with you, which discussed Facebook’s content moderation practices. Specifically, you spoke about pressure from the Biden administration to censor information concerning side effects of the COVID-19 vaccines. According to your interview, the Biden administration “pushed [Facebook] super hard to take down things that were honestly true.” You further stated the Biden administration pressured Facebook to take down “anything that says that vaccines might have side effects.” According to you, the Biden administration would “call up the guys on [Facebook’s] team and yell at them and curse and threaten repercussions if we don’t take down things that are true.” It is unclear whether the Biden administration’s pressure campaign led to Facebook’s reported censorship of the vaccine injury support groups.
Facebook’s alleged censorship campaign against the vaccine-injured, as detailed in Worth a Shot?, is the latest evidence of Big Tech’s efforts, in conjunction with the Biden administration, to silence anything critical of the COVID cartel and the vaccines.
Pursuant to Senate Resolution 59 (118th Cong.), the United States Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations is conducting a review of the censorship of COVID-19 vaccine injuries. In order to assist the Subcommittee’s review, please provide the following information by February 18, 2025:
- A list of all vaccine injury support groups removed, restricted, or banned on Facebook.
- Any federal requests to censor vaccine-related content.
- Communications with federal agencies regarding vaccine content moderation.
- Internal records on the moderation of COVID-19 vaccine injury discussions.
- All communications with COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers regarding censorship policies.
To expedite the Subcommittee’s review, submit the material as it becomes available rather than waiting to provide it all at once.
Sincerely,
Ron Johnson
Chairman
Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations
cc: The Honorable Richard Blumenthal, Ranking Member
