Speaking with Recode's Kara Swisher, Zuckerberg, who is Jewish, said in an interview published Wednesday that he thinks there are things "that different people get wrong." He added that he doesn't think they are "intentionally" getting it wrong.
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At this point, Swisher cut in and said that in the case of Holocaust deniers, it may be intentionally wrong.
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The remarks sparked criticism, including from the Anti-Defamation League, which said in a statement that Facebook has a "moral and ethical obligation" not to allow people to disseminate Holocaust denial on its platform.
Zuckerberg said offensive content isn't necessarily banned unless it is to organize harm or attack someone.
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Later Wednesday, Swisher posted an email from Zuckerberg clarifying his comments. The email, in its entirety, read:
I enjoyed our conversation yesterday, but there's one thing I want to clear up. I personally find Holocaust denial deeply offensive, and I absolutely didn't intend to defend the intent of people who deny that.
Our goal with fake news is not to prevent anyone from saying something untrue - but to stop fake news and misinformation spreading across our services. If something is spreading and is rated false by fact checkers, it would lose the vast majority of its distribution in News Feed. And of course if a post crossed line into advocating for violence or hate against a particular group, it would be removed. These issues are very challenging but I believe that often the best way to fight offensive bad speech is with good speech.
I look forward to catching up again soon.
Mark
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ABC7 News contributed to this report
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