The social media behemoth announced that the prohibition would lift “in the coming weeks.” The public “should be able to hear what their officials are saying,” according to Nick Clegg, president of global affairs at Meta.
Following the Capitol riots in 2021, the then-US president’s access to Facebook and Instagram was temporarily blocked.
Mr. Clegg claimed that Meta retaliated against Mr. Trump for “supporting those participating in violence at the Capitol.”
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The decision to suspend was made under extraordinary circumstances, he continued. He claimed that following an investigation, Mr. Trump’s accounts no longer posed a major threat to the public’s safety. But given Mr. Trump’s prior “violations,” he now faces harsher punishment for any future offenses.
The decision to reinstate Mr. Trump on its platforms “sat with Meta alone – the board did not have a role in the decision,” according to the Oversight Board of Meta, a group it established to review moderation determinations.
The board had earlier informed Meta that a review of Mr. Trump’s suspension was necessary. To evaluate how newly enacted regulations safeguarding public figures were being implemented, it urged Meta to be forthcoming and provide more information about them.
Accredited Social
Republicans have been pushing for Mr. Trump to be permitted to return to Facebook as he geared up to compete for US president once more in 2019.
In reaction, Mr. Trump claimed on Wednesday that Facebook had “lost billions” due to blocking “your favorite president, me” on his own social media platform, Truth Social.
He added that it should never happen again to a president in office or anyone else who is not entitled to retaliation. He founded the social media site Truth Social in 2021. However, it has a very small user base compared to Facebook, which has three billion users. Though there are likely considerably fewer active users than that, Truth Social may have up to five million accounts. However, Mr. Trump and Truth Social have an exclusivity agreement, which means he must post on the site first and do so six hours before anyone else.
It implies that there is a possibility of him being sued if he tweets or posts on Facebook. Analysts also caution that the platform would struggle to exist if Mr. Trump stopped using Truth Social or started posting content elsewhere. He may disregard the exclusivity clause and begin publishing content right now.
But that might expose him to legal issues. It’s also conceivable that he waits until June, when the contract expires, to do nothing. Or, he might decide never to return to any of the sites he has persistently criticized. Being on Facebook would make a lot of sense if he intends to run for the White House. He must abide by Meta’s laws if he chooses to return. If he disobeys them, the corporation has left the possibility of another suspension open. It implies that Mr. Trump will have to exercise restraint on Facebook, although he is not now required to do so on Truth Social.
