Donald Trump is allowed to use Facebook and Instagram again
Meta's two-year ban comes to an end. Donald Trump will soon be allowed to publish Instagram and Facebook posts again. However, he faces tougher sanctions if he violates the content guidelines again.
Former US President Donald Trump is allowed to use Facebook and Instagram again two years after his original ban. This was announced by Meta on Wednesday in a blog post. Meta will restore Trump's accounts on the two social media platforms in the coming weeks.
"In general, we don't want to stand in the way of an open, public and democratic debate on Meta's platforms," the blog post states. It is important that the public can hear what their politicians are saying. "But that doesn't mean there are no limits to what people can say on our platform," the company emphasises.
This is why the ex-president must respect Meta's content guidelines should he become active on the platforms again. Otherwise, he could face harsher sanctions as a repeat offender. Meta emphasised this in an update of its measures against violations, which was published on the same day. Depending on the degree of violation, renewed suspensions can last from one month to two years. Only in extreme cases will accounts be permanently deactivated.
Meta updates guidelines
In connection with Trump's unblocking, Meta is also updating its political crisis protocol. The protocol is intended to help assess the risks of imminent damage on and off the platform in crisis situations. These can be higher in times of crisis, which is why other reactions are required in such situations.
In the blog post, Meta cites the events of 6 January 2021, when radical Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol, as an example of this. Trump was banned from Facebook and Instagram after the deadly attack. Meta was one of the first platforms to block the former president. Initially, the ban was indefinite. However, after Meta received instructions from an internal panel of experts, the company limited the ban to two years.
Twitter unblocked Trump in November
Trump's Twitter account was reinstated in November. This was after Elon Musk took over as the new owner and CEO. In a Twitter poll, Musk enquired whether the former president's account should be reactivated.
Trump has not yet used his unblocked Twitter account. The former president is currently still using his own social network, Truth Social. It remains to be seen whether this will change with a view to the next presidential election in 2024. Trump confirmed his candidacy last November.
Cover image: Shutterstock, Evan El-Amin
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