Financial Times: “Facebook is plotting a charm offensive to repair ties with the incoming Biden administration, as it looks to stave off the threat of being more heavily regulated or even broken up during the president-elect’s term in office. Company executives are planning a major push to encourage users to take a coronavirus vaccine, as well as incentivising people to share content related to the Paris climate agreement, which Joe Biden has promised to rejoin, in the hopes of winning favour in Washington.”

“The social media company has long been a source of anger among senior Democrats, many of whom blame it for not doing enough to combat misinformation. In the days after this month’s election, Bill Russo, Mr Biden’s deputy communications director, posted a series of tweets attacking the company, saying: ‘If you thought disinformation on Facebook was a problem during our election, just wait until you see how it is shredding the fabric of our democracy in the days after.’ Facebook hopes that Nick Clegg, the company’s vice-president of global affairs, will help mend relations. The former British deputy prime minister struck up a rapport with Mr Biden when both were in office nearly a decade ago. The next few years are likely to prove one of the most important periods in Facebook’s history, and could even determine whether it will survive in its current form. The company is under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys-general for violating competition laws, and could face being broken up.”