Trump’s Facebook account closed for at least two years
Facebook announced the US ex-president Donald Trump’s account is suspended at least until January 2023 which means he will be without his Facebook account over the national midterm elections in November 2022. His account was closed after the Capitol Hill riots on January 6 as the Facebook management said his messages stimulated violence.
The company has also announced changes in how it will treat world leaders breaking the company’s rules in the future.
Facebook said Trump’s suspension will only be lifted if the risk to public safety has receded.
“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. We are suspending his accounts for two years, effective from the date of the initial suspension on January 7 this year”, Nick Clegg, VP, Global Affairs, wrote in a blog post.
POLITICAL AGENDA
From a political agenda point, the two-year suspension means Trump will not have a Facebook account for the midterm national election in November 2022 but it is possible that he has his account back for the presidential elections late 2024.
Facebook’s oversight board recently agreed with the management’s suspension of the Trump accounts but instructed the management to decide about for long the suspension would last.
Trump issued a statement saying, “Facebook’s ruling is an insult to the record-setting 75M people, plus many others, who voted for us in the 2020 Rigged Presidential Election. 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!”
CONTENT MODERATION
Facebook said it together with experts would decide when the public safety risk had subsided for Trump to be restored to its platforms. It also said there would be a set of escalating sanctions that would be triggered if Trump broke further rules that could lead to his permanent removal.
The company also said it is 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 this exemption.
After the January 6 riots, Trump’s Twitter account was permanently closed and his YouTube account is still suspended.
Moonshot News is an independent European news website for all IT, Media and Advertising professionals, powered by women and with a focus on driving the narrative for diversity, inclusion and gender equality in the industry.
Our mission is to provide top and unbiased information for all professionals and to make sure that women get their fair share of voice in the news and in the spotlight!
We produce original content, news articles, a curated calendar of industry events and a database of women IT, Media and Advertising associations.
