Facebook’s Oversight Board has reviewed former President Trump’s ban and remained convinced that it should not be lifted. The board also determined that it made a mistake and violated its own rules by imposing an indefinite suspension on Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.
The Board said that the decision to ban Trump was warranted because his actions during the Capitol riot severely violated Facebook’s rules and encouraged and legitimized violence.
The board said it will review the actions against Trump in another six-month period while being critical of the fact that Facebook has total discretion on when to impose or lift an indefinite suspension.
It is very vital that the Board examines its role in spreading misinformation related to election fraud claims.
Three months ago, Facebook referred the decision to indefinitely suspend both the Facebook and Instagram accounts of Trump to its independent Oversight Board for review.
It is not just Facebook and Instagram that banned Trump’s social media accounts. YouTube, Twitter, and a host of other social networks banned his accounts. The ban came shortly after the violent event on the U.S Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Trump was thereafter accused of “actively fomenting a violent insurrection designed to thwart the peaceful transition of power” through a series of incendiary social media posts.
A spokesperson from Facebook said at the time in a press release that while the company stands resolute in the initial decision to de-platform Trump, they also acknowledge the problematic nature of tech companies having the power to ban elected leaders.
When the 40-person Oversight Board of Facebook was announced in 2024, CEO Mark Zuckerberg likened the body to a supreme court for resolving issues in content censorship.