Image via Donald J. Trump Facebook
Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts will be restored by Meta.
More than two years after the former president was suddenly removed from the platforms, the tech giant made the announcement in a news post on Wednesday. After the Capitol riots on January 6, which were sparked by Trump’s unfounded allegations that the 2020 presidential election had been rigged, the suspension was announced. The parent firm of Facebook and Instagram claimed that the then-president incited violence in a number of posts that were later taken down. The prohibition wouldn’t be lifted until at least 2023, it continued to say.
“Two years ago, we took action in what were extreme and highly unusual circumstances,” Meta President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg wrote in the post. “We indefinitely suspended then-U.S. President Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts following his praise for people engaged in violence at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. We then referred that decision to the Oversight Board — an expert body established to be an independent check and balance on our decision-making. The Board upheld the decision but criticized the open-ended nature of the suspension and the lack of clear criteria for when and whether suspended accounts will be restored, directing us to review the matter to determine a more proportionate response.”
According to Clegg, Meta is dedicated to free speech and thinks the public should hear what politicians have to say, regardless of how “bad” or “ugly” it may be. The business was very clear that it would not tolerate any content that did not adhere to their community standards. Additionally, Meta stated that depending on the severity of the infringement, Trump and other public figures may face “heightened penalties for repeat offenses” and a two-year suspension.