Facebook ban on Trump upheld, but board insists on six-month review

Facebook ban on Trump upheld, but board insists on six-month review

 

 

Former US president Donald Trump’s ban from Facebook has been upheld but the decision to sanction him indefinitely is “not appropriate” and must be reviewed within six months, the company’s independent oversight board said on Wednesday. “The Board has upheld Facebook’s decision on January 7, 2021, to restrict then-President Donald Trump’s access to posting content on his Facebook page and Instagram account,” a statement said.

 

“However, it was not appropriate for Facebook to impose the indeterminate and standardless penalty of indefinite suspension. Facebook must complete its review of this matter within six months of the date of this decision.” Trump was locked out of Twitter, Facebook and YouTube after being accused of inciting his supporters to storm the Capitol in Washington in January. He was banned indefinitely by Twitter while YouTube has said it plans to unblock his profile when the risk of violence decreases. Facebook’s oversight board said it had made recommendations to the company on how to “promote public safety and respect freedom of expression” in the wake of the ban controversy. Trump launched his own blog page on Tuesday, which is visually similar to Twitter but contains only posts from Trump.

 

Supporters could technically also use his blog to repost Trump’s statements to Twitter or Facebook, as there is the option to share any short post as a quote via the social media platforms. Twitter rules seem to suggest that sharing content from the website is permitted, but there are caveats. “However, as stated in our ban evasion policy, attempts by an individual to circumvent prior enforcement, including permanent suspensions, is against our rules,” a Twitter statement said. “This includes evading suspension by imitating a suspended account if the apparent sole intent is to replace a suspended account.” Trump has relied on emailed statements to reach supporters in recent months. Before that, his Twitter account was by far his most important communication channel.

Nigeria news paper