Set to Meta. Restore former President Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts in the coming weeks.. It comes after Trump was banned from the platforms more than two years ago after he praised those who attacked the United States Capitol building on January 6, 2021.
Before Metta decided to ban Trump from its social media platforms, it assessed whether the serious threat to public safety posed by the events of January 2021 had been substantially reduced. They ultimately determined that “the risk has been substantially reduced,” and that they should adhere to the two-year timeline they had implemented.
Meta explained further:
The suspension was an extraordinary decision taken under extraordinary circumstances. The general state of affairs is that the public should be able to hear again on our platforms from a former President of the United States, and a declared candidate for that office. Now that the suspension period has passed, the question is not whether we choose to reinstate Mr. Trump’s accounts, but whether there are exceptional circumstances that would warrant extending the suspension beyond the original two-year period. Extension is permissible.
Despite the restoration, the Meta will have “new guardrails.” In addition to being subject to Facebook and Instagram’s Community Standards, he now faces stiffer penalties for repeat offenses (which will also apply to other public figures whose accounts have been suspended due to civil unrest. ). If Trump posts content that violates Meta’s standards, the posts will be removed and the former president will be suspended again for between one month and two years, depending on the severity of the violation.
Additionally, the company said it may limit the distribution of Trump’s posts that may contain content that doesn’t violate its community standards but may contribute to the threats it exposed on Jan. 6. It can also limit their advertising capabilities over and over again. This means the posts will appear on Mr Trump’s account but not in people’s news feeds, even if they follow the former president.
When Meta banned Trump from its platforms, many felt the company overstepped its bounds and accused it of censorship. As such, the social network referred the case to the Oversight Board, a relatively recent body created to challenge or affirm Facebook’s decisions. While the board upheld the decision, it criticized the open-ended nature of the suspension meta and the lack of clear criteria for reinstatement of suspended accounts.
Meta isn’t the first social media company to revive Trump. Back in November last year, Twitter has reinstated the former president’s account. Its new owner, business mogul Elon Musk, followed the results of a public Twitter poll.
