Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is attempting to ingratiate himself with President-elect Donald Trump, presenting himself as an ally of reform. However, a prominent victim of Facebook censorship is urging caution, warning that Zuckerberg’s overtures should not be trusted, particularly given his failure to apologize or restore data for numerous users whose lives were upended by online censorship.
Despite Zuckerberg issuing a semi-apologetic letter and calling Trump over the summer, many conservatives—Trump included—welcomed the gesture. Yet, Facebook’s censorship, including actions that interfered with elections, persisted. Critics argue Zuckerberg’s actions were a calculated move to hedge his bets in case Trump won, without genuinely changing Meta’s approach. Brandon Straka, leader of the #WalkAway campaign, has cautioned against buying into Zuckerberg’s apparent change of heart without evidence of meaningful reform.
In 2021, Zuckerberg’s platforms famously banned Trump in one of the clearest examples of politically motivated censorship. Now, as Trump prepares to reenter the White House, Zuckerberg has reportedly been meeting with him at Mar-a-Lago, seeking to smooth relations. At least one Trump advisor appears to believe Zuckerberg’s overtures are sincere. Straka, however, sees the situation differently, calling the Meta CEO’s behavior self-serving.
On November 29, Straka shared his personal experience with Facebook censorship, highlighting the devastating impact on his movement. “Facebook banned the #WalkAway Campaign group (over 511K members) and all of the thousands of stories of the people who joined and bravely shared why they were walking away — with no justification, no explanation, and no path for appeal,” Straka wrote.
In 2021, Straka and other #WalkAway leaders woke up to find their accounts permanently deleted. The group, which had provided a platform for disillusioned Democrats seeking political alternatives, lost years of content and data overnight. “They also permanently banned the accounts of every person who was an admin of our group — which destroyed people’s personal businesses and deleted all of their cherished memories that were stored on the platform,” Straka explained. “There’s been no apology, no acknowledgment, and no attempt to make this right. It’s not enough for Zuckerberg to want to join us. He has an obligation to make amends by thoroughly changing his platform and reinstating wrongfully banned accounts.”
Straka’s comments echo concerns raised by the Twitter Files, which exposed how tech companies, under pressure from activists and politicians, targeted individuals and movements for censorship. Straka and his #WalkAway campaign were similarly targeted across platforms.
He is not alone in his skepticism. Meta’s track record of suppressing conservative voices is well-documented, with MRC’s CensorTrack database chronicling countless instances of bias. Even smaller accounts continue to experience censorship. Until Meta implements sweeping changes to end its suppression of free speech and apologizes to its victims, Straka and others argue that Zuckerberg’s overtures cannot be taken seriously.
