Meta engineer Jeevan Gyawali sparked controversy after an undercover journalist with O’Keefe Media Group claimed to have obtained a candid interview, allegedly revealing the company’s content moderation practices. According to the journalist, Gyawali, a senior software engineer at Meta, disclosed that Facebook demotes posts critical of Kamala Harris, including those from accounts that express anti-Harris sentiment.
The interview, captured on a hidden camera, appears to show Gyawali stating that posts deemed “anti-Harris” would be automatically demoted, with no notification to the poster. This, he claimed, would result in decreased engagement and impressions. Gyawali also seemed to discuss Meta’s “Integrity Team,” which allegedly uses “civic classifiers” to control content. These classifiers, he said, are designed to identify and demote civic content, including political posts.
When asked to elaborate on civic classifiers, Gyawali explained that they are a system used to detect and demote civic content, including anything related to politics. He claimed that Meta has a “SWAT team” in place to prevent platform abuse, which was set up in April. The engineer also allegedly admitted that Meta has the ability to influence the 2024 election, with founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly backing this initiative.
However, the authenticity of Gyawali’s claims remains uncertain, as the undercover journalist used a dating app to set up a meeting with him. James O’Keefe, founder of O’Keefe Media Group, revealed that when he contacted Gyawali for comment, the engineer responded with a brief, dismissive statement before ending the call: “Ah, fuck!” The full extent of Gyawali’s involvement in Meta’s content moderation practices and the accuracy of his claims remain unclear.
