“In assessing our responsibility to allow political expression, we believe that the American people should be able to hear from the nominees for president on the same basis,” Facebook parent company writes
Almost four years After Meta suspended Donald Trump from their services — and 18 months after the ban was lifted with “guardrails” in place — the parent company of Facebook and Instagram announced Friday that it has lifted all remaining restrictions from the former president's accounts ahead of the Republican National Convention.
“With the party conventions taking place shortly, including the Republican convention next week, the candidates for President of the United States will soon be formally nominated. In assessing our responsibility to allow political expression, we believe that the American people should be able to hear from the nominees for president on the same basis,” Meta's global affairs president Nick Clegg wrote Friday in an update to the company's January 2023 post that a -suspended Trump. “As a result, former President Trump, as the nominee of the Republican Party, will no longer be subject to the heightened suspension penalties.”
Trump was initially suspended from Facebook and Instagram “following his praise for people engaged in violence at the Capitol on January 6, 2021,” which caused “serious risk to public safety,” Meta wrote. The suspension lasted until January 2023, when the punishment was lifted but new guardrails” were put in place “to deter repeat offenses.”
Since the suspension was lifted 18 months ago, Trump's team has frequently posted on Facebook — often it's just reposts from Trump's own Truth Social — within the Community Standards outlined by Meta. However, on Friday, all remaining deterrents established by Meta had been removed.
“In reaching this conclusion, we also considered that these penalties were in response to extreme and extraordinary circumstances, and should not have been deployed,” Clegg added. “All U.S. Presidential candidates remain subject to the same Community Standards as all Facebook and Instagram users, including those policies designed to prevent hate speech and incitement to violence.”
