Facebook Inc on Friday suspended former U.S. President Donald Trump from its platform until at least January 2023 and announced changes to how it will treat rule-breaking politicians going forward.
This report produced by Chris Dignam.
Facebook suspended Donald Trump from its platform for two years on Friday, a response to recommendations made in May by its independent oversight board, which upheld Facebook's initial suspension of the former president following the Jan.
6 Capitol riot, but said Facebook was wrong to block Trump indefinitely.
Soon after the announcement, Trump said in a statement that the decision was "an insult" to those who voted for him in the 2020 election, adding: "They shouldn’t be allowed to get away with this censoring and silencing, and ultimately, we will win.
Our Country can’t take this abuse anymore!" In a blog post, Facebook said Trump's suspension was effective from the initial date in January and his accounts will only be reinstated if the risk to public safety had receded, adding: "Given the gravity of the circumstances that led to Mr. Trump’s suspension, we believe his actions constituted a severe violation of our rules which merit the highest penalty available under the new enforcement protocols." Facebook also announced changes to how it will treat all rule-breaking world leaders in the future.
In one reversal, it's ending its policy that shields politicians from some content moderation rules because their content is considered "newsworthy." It will also disclose when it does use that exemption.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg had long argued that the company should not police politicians' speech.
But Facebook and other social media companies have grappled in recent years with how to handle world leaders and politicians who violate their guidelines.
The timing of Trump's two-year suspension means he won't be able to use his Facebook and Instagram accounts ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, when Republicans will be competing for Congressional seats, but may be able to return to those sites well before the next presidential election in 2024.
