Facebook oversight board upholds Trump ban

Washington: Facebook’s independent oversight board upheld the platform’s ban on former US president Donald Trump while ordering further review of the case, in a decision with a potentially farreaching impact on the regulation of online speech.

The board, whose decisions are binding on the leading social network, said Trump “created an environment where a serious risk of violence was possible” with his comments on the Jan 6 rampage by his supporters at the US Capitol.

“Given the seriousness of the violations and the ongoing risk of violence, Facebook was justified in suspending Mr Trump’s accounts on Jan 6 and extending that suspension on Jan 7,” the board said after its review yesterday.

But it also ruled that “it was not appropriate for Facebook to impose the indeterminate and standardless penalty of indefinite suspension”.

“Within six months of this decision, Facebook must reexamine the arbitrary penalty it imposed on Jan 7 and decide the appropriate penalty,” the review board said.

“It is not permissible for Facebook to keep a user off the platform for an undefined period, with no criteria for when or whether the account will be restored.”

The case had been intensely followed for its repercussions for social networks seeking to curb misinformation and abusive content while remaining open to political discourse.

Trump was suspended from Facebook and Instagram after posting a video during the deadly Jan 6 storming, in which he told his supporters: “We love you, you’re very special.”

He was banned permanently by Facebook the next day and taken off other platforms, including Twitter and YouTube.