Ouster of Trump upheld
Decision leaves door open for possible return
An oversight board upholds Facebook’s ban on former President Donald Trump, but the social media company must review its indefinite suspension.
President Donald Trump won’t return to Facebook – at least not yet.
Four months after Facebook suspended Trump’s accounts for inciting violence that led to the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot, the company’s quasi-independent oversight board upheld the bans. But it told Facebook to specify how long they would last, saying that its “indefinite” ban was unreasonable. The ruling, which gives Facebook six months to comply, effectively postpones any possible Trump reinstatement and puts the onus for that decision squarely back on the company.
That could leave Facebook in the worst of all possible worlds – one in which Trump’s supporters remain enraged over the bans, his critics keep pushing for broader regulation of social media and the company is stuck with a momentous issue it clearly hoped the oversight board would resolve.
The decision only “kicks the can down the road,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, the head of the Anti-Defamation League.
The board ruled that Facebook was correct to suspend Trump’s account four months ago for inciting violence that led to the Capitol riot. But it said the company erred by applying a vague penalty and then passing the question of whether to ban Trump permanently to the board.
“Indefinite penalties of this sort do not pass the international smell test,” oversight board co-chair Michael McConnell said in a conference call with reporters.
In a statement, Trump did not address the decision directly, but said that actions by Facebook, Twitter and Google are “a total disgrace and an embarrassment to our Country.” He added: “These corrupt social media companies must pay a political price.”
The board agreed with Facebook that two of Trump’s Jan. 6 posts “severely violated” the content standards of Facebook and Instagram. “We love you. You’re very special,” he said to the rioters in the first post. In the second, he called them “great patriots” and told them to “remember this day forever.”
Those violated Facebook’s rules against praising or supporting people engaged in violence, the board said, warranting the suspension. Specifically, the board cited Facebook’s rules against “dangerous individuals and organizations,” which prohibit anyone who proFormer claims a violent mission and bans posts that praise such people.
But it insisted that the company needed to take responsibility for its decision.
“Facebook should either permanently disable Trump’s account or impose a suspension for a specific period of time,” said board co-chair Helle Thorning-Schmidt, a former Danish prime minister.
The board said that if Facebook decides to restore Trump’s accounts, it must be able to promptly address further violations. Among other recommendations, it advised against drawing a firm distinction between political leaders and other influential users.
Facebook has long straddled that issue, granting political figures greater leeway than it allows ordinary users because, it argued, even their rulebreaking statements were important for citizens to hear.