Facebook Rules on Trump Ban in Major Free Speech Decision
The Trump presidency will undoubtedly go down in the history books as one of the most memorable of our lifetime, and there are repercussions still piling onto us today that could impact the way in which our nation operates for decades to come.
Near the end of his first term, something previously unthinkable happen to Donald Trump: He was banned from Twitter and Facebook outright, and arbitrarily.
The two tech giants had decided that there was a real chance that Trump could or would incite violence around the nation, perhaps even via the infamous “storm is upon us” text that Qanon theorists repeatedly spoke of.
Regardless of the reason, a sitting US President had just been censored by two incredibly powerful companies for reasons that they didn’t have to justify to anyone. This was a terrifying adjustment to the way in which we think about free speech in America, and the struggle continues this week.
Facebook was justified in its decision to suspend then-President Donald Trump after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, the company’s Oversight Board said on Wednesday.
That means the company does not have to reinstate Trump’s access to Facebook and Instagram immediately. But the panel said the company was wrong to impose an indefinite ban and said Facebook has six months to either restore Trump’s account, make his suspension permanent, or suspend him for a specific period of time.
Scarier still: A recent interview with Donald Trump was also removed from Facebook, with the social media magnates declaring that statements “in Donald Trump’s voice” would now be subject to such censorship.
