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FACEBOOK’S Oversight Board on Wednesday upheld the company’s suspension against former President Donald Trump and decided that Facebook was incorrect to impose the penalty that it did.
“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,” the board said in its decision. “However, it was not appropriate for Facebook to impose the indeterminate and standardless penalty of indefinite suspension.”
The oversight board is tasked with reviewing enforcement and governance decisions on Facebook’s platforms, and the company sent Mr. Trump’s case to the board for review. Now, the decision is back in Facebook’s hands.
Facebook first blocked Mr. Trump for 24 hours on Jan. 6 following the riot at the U.S. Capitol. The next day, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg extended the ban for at least two weeks — until Mr. Trump left office. Following President Biden’s inauguration, the company referred the ban to the board.
The board, while technically independent of Facebook, operates with a $130 million trust from the company. As the time for a decision neared last month, the board extended its own deadline.
Whether and how Facebook chooses to implement the board’s direction remains to be seen. The board’s decision and the company’s actions will be watched closely around the world and across the internet.
Twitter previously permanently suspended Mr. Trump, and Google-owned YouTube’s CEO has pledged to restore the former president’s access to its platform. YouTube has not provided a timeline for Mr. Trump’s return and said it had no update when asked earlier this week about when his access would be restored.
The decision to banish a sitting president from communicating online sent shockwaves through domestic and international politics. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, for example, viewed permanent suspensions of the then-president as problematic, according to reports. Sen. Bernard Sanders, Vermont independent, similarly said during a podcast in March that he did not feel comfortable with Twitter’s decision to permanently ban a sitting president.
The actions to curtail Mr. Trump’s online speech have prompted lawmakers and regulators to take new interest in proposing ways to limit tech companies’ power. Florida, for example, is advancing legislation that would put financial penalties on social networks such as Facebook that ban, or “deplatform,” candidates for statewide office.
Mr. Trump, meanwhile, has not waited for the social media companies to change their mind. He has made appearances on television, including calling into Fox News to discuss the death of conservative broadcaster Rush Limbaugh and to talk about a car wreck suffered by golfer Tiger Woods.
– Washington Times
