May 12, 2021
Facebook’s May 5 board decision upheld former U.S. President Donald Trump’s suspension, but revealed that Facebook was wrong to suspend the suspension indefinitely and granted the company six months to determine a “proportionate response.”
That means Facebook could decide whether Donald Trump’s account can be restored, temporarily suspended or permanently suspended.
While Facebook had indefinitely blocked Trump’s access to Facebook and Instagram accounts out of fear of further violent unrest following the January 6 riots, the board’s ruling revealed that Facebook should not have imposed an indefinite suspension without clear standards.
The board revealed in its decision that Facebook refused to answer some of the 46 questions raised, including how the company’s newsfeed influenced the visibility of Trump’s post and whether the company plans to investigate how its technology boosts content similar to what it did on January 6.
The board said Facebook’s existing policies, which include deciding when material is too newsworthy to remove, need to be communicated more clearly to users.
Facebook’s vice-president for global affairs and communications, Nick Clegg, told a Financial Times conference after the ruling that the company would try to resolve the matter “considerably faster” than six months.
For more information, read the original story in Reuters.
