Facebook Inc. removed former US President Donald Trump from its platform until at least January 2023, in a move that has been extensively scrutinised for clues about how the firm would deal with future rule-breaking world leaders.
In May, Facebook’s independent monitoring board maintained the company’s ban on Trump, which was imposed in the aftermath of a disturbance at the US Capitol on Jan. 6 amid worries that his tweets were encouraging violence.
The board, however, concluded that making the ban indefinite was incorrect and granted it six months to come up with a “proportionate remedy.”
Trump’s suspension went into force in January and will only be lifted if conditions allow, according to a Facebook blog post.
“Given the seriousness of the circumstances that led to Mr. Trump’s suspension, we believe his conduct constituted a serious breach of our rules that warranted the most severe punishment allowed under the new enforcement guidelines,” Facebook stated.
The announcement came on the same day that the European Union and the United Kingdom initiated official antitrust investigations into whether Facebook is misusing its enormous database of consumer information.
In recent years, social media corporations have struggled with how to deal with international leaders and politicians who break its rules.
Those who believe Facebook should forsake its hands-off attitude to political expression have criticised the company. However, it has been attacked by some who see the Trump ban as a worrisome act of censorship, including Republican politicians and certain free-expression activists.
Trump’s suspension was the first time a current president, prime minister, or head of state has been barred by Facebook.
