In January, Facebook, along with several other mainstream social media sites, shut down then-President Trump’s account. The justification for this shutdown rested on the claim that Trump breached the site’s user agreement with his remarks about the insurrection at Capitol Hill.
Days ago, Americans learned that the Facebook Oversight Board would rule on whether or not to keep Trump off the platform. Many people predicted that the known-leftist organization would rule against restoring the 45th president’s account.
Earlier this morning, the Facebook Oversight Board predictably chose to maintain the ban against former President Trump, as Washington Examiner reports.
Reviewing Facebook’s Ruling Against Trump
This morning, the Facebook Oversight Board determined that the ban against Trump’s account will maintain. In making this announcement, the group put out a statement, claiming that the 45th president’s comments about the Capitol Hill attack “legitimized” and “encouraged” violent acts.
The Board also found Facebook violated its own rules by imposing a suspension that was ‘indefinite.’ This penalty is not described in Facebook’s content policies. It has no clear criteria and gives Facebook total discretion on when to impose or lift it.
— Oversight Board (@OversightBoard) May 5, 2021
The Facebook Oversight Board then stated that Facebook actually breached its own rules by announcing that Trump’s account suspension would remain indefinite. After noting that indefinite account bans are not listed within Facebook’s content criteria, the Oversight Board left open the door for a possible Trump return in the future.
Per the statement, Facebook has to “review” the situation again within six months to enact a “new penalty” that aligns with the site’s rules. The Oversight Board made clear that this penalty could entail permanent deletion of one’s account or a “time-limited” dismissal from the platform.
More from the Oversight Board of Facebook
The Facebook Oversight Board weighed in with much more than just a decision on the current status of former President Trump’s account. In addition to this, the body also urged Facebook to produce greater transparency regarding its rules on a “newsworthiness policy.”
If Facebook opts for a suspension for a set period of time for influential users, the company should assess the risk of the user inciting significant harm before the suspension ends. If the risk remains, Facebook should impose another suspension.
— Oversight Board (@OversightBoard) May 5, 2021
Finally, the Facebook Oversight Board opined that public figures on the platform shouldn’t be granted leeway over ordinary users. The group stated that moves to stop harm shouldn’t be overridden by the clout associated with public figures.
Towards the end of the lengthy statement, the Oversight Board called upon Facebook to back “free expression” and resist the temptation to shut down the voices of political opposition.
What do you think about the Facebook Oversight Board’s decision about former President Trump’s account? Do you believe that Trump will ever be let back on Facebook? Let us get your thoughts about the latest ruling from the Oversight Board in the comments section below.
