Facebook parent Meta said Wednesday it will restore former President Donald Trump B次元官网网址榮 personal account in the coming weeks, ending a two-year suspension it imposed in the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection.
The company said in a blog post it is adding B次元官网网址渘ew guardrailsB次元官网网址� to ensure there are no B次元官网网址渞epeat offendersB次元官网网址� who violate its rules, even if they are political candidates or world leaders.
B次元官网网址淭he public should be able to hear what their politicians are saying B次元官网网址� the good, the bad and the ugly B次元官网网址� so that they can make informed choices at the ballot box,B次元官网网址� wrote Nick Clegg, MetaB次元官网网址檚 vice president of global affairs.
Clegg added that when there is a B次元官网网址渃lear riskB次元官网网址� to real-world harm, Meta will intervene.
B次元官网网址淚n the event that Mr. Trump posts further violating content, the content will be removed and he will be suspended for between one month and two years, depending on the severity of the violation,B次元官网网址� he wrote. Facebook suspended Trump on Jan. 7, 2021, for praising people engaged in violent acts at the Capitol a day earlier. But the company had resisted earlier calls B次元官网网址� including from its own employees B次元官网网址� to remove TrumpB次元官网网址檚 account.
Meta said TrumpB次元官网网址檚 accounts will be restored B次元官网网址渋n the coming weeksB次元官网网址� on both Facebook and Instagram. Banned from mainstream social media, Trump has been relying on Truth Social, which he launched after being blocked from Twitter.
Facebook is not only the worldB次元官网网址檚 largest social media site, but had been a crucial source of fundraising revenue for TrumpB次元官网网址檚 campaigns, which spent millions of dollars on the companyB次元官网网址檚 ads in 2016 and 2020. The move, which comes as Trump is ramping up his third run for the White House, will not only allow Trump to communicate directly with his 34 million followers B次元官网网址� dramatically more than the 4.8 million who currently follow him on Truth Social B次元官网网址� but will also allow him to resume direct fundraising. During the suspension, his supporters were able to raise money for him, but couldnB次元官网网址檛 run ads directly from him or in his voice.
Responding to the news, Trump blasted FacebookB次元官网网址檚 original decision to suspend his account as he praised Truth Social.
B次元官网网址淔ACEBOOK, which has lost Billions of Dollars in value since B次元官网网址渄eplatformingB次元官网网址� your favorite President, me, has just announced that they are reinstating my account. Such a thing should never again happen to a sitting President, or anybody else who is not deserving of retribution!B次元官网网址� he wrote.
Other social media companies, including Snapchat, where he remains suspended, also kicked him off their platforms following the insurrection. He was recently reinstated on Twitter after Elon Musk took over the company. He has not tweeted yet.
Civil rights groups and others on the left were quick to denounce MetaB次元官网网址檚 move. Letting Trump back on Facebook sends a signal to other figures with large online audiences that they may break the rules without lasting consequences, said Heidi Beirich, founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism and a member of a group called the Real Facebook Oversight Board that has criticized the platformB次元官网网址檚 efforts.
B次元官网网址淚 am not surprised but it is a disaster,B次元官网网址� Beirich said of MetaB次元官网网址檚 decision. B次元官网网址淔acebook created loopholes for Trump that he went right through. He incited an insurrection on Facebook. And now heB次元官网网址檚 back.B次元官网网址�
NAACP President Derrick Johnson blasted the decision as B次元官网网址渁 prime example of putting profits above peopleB次元官网网址檚 safetyB次元官网网址� and a B次元官网网址済rave mistake.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 quite astonishing that one can spew hatred, fuel conspiracies, and incite a violent insurrection at our nationB次元官网网址檚 Capitol building, and Mark Zuckerberg still believes that is not enough to remove someone from his platforms,B次元官网网址� he said.
But Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University called the reinstatement B次元官网网址渢he right call B次元官网网址� not because the former president has any right to be on the platform but because the public has an interest in hearing directly from candidates for political office.B次元官网网址�
The ACLU also called it the right move.
B次元官网网址淟ike it or not, President Trump is one of the countryB次元官网网址檚 leading political figures and the public has a strong interest in hearing his speech. Indeed, some of TrumpB次元官网网址檚 most offensive social media posts ended up being critical evidence in lawsuits filed against him and his administration,B次元官网网址� said Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union. B次元官网网址淭he biggest social media companies are central actors when it comes to our collective ability to speak B次元官网网址� and hear the speech of others B次元官网网址� online. They should err on the side of allowing a wide range of political speech, even when it offends.B次元官网网址�
Clegg said that in light of his previous violations, Trump now faces heightened penalties for repeat offenses. Such penalties B次元官网网址渨ill apply to other public figures whose accounts are reinstated from suspensions related to civil unrest under our updated protocol.B次元官网网址�
If Trump B次元官网网址� or anyone else B次元官网网址� posts material that doesnB次元官网网址檛 violate FacebookB次元官网网址檚 rules but is otherwise harmful and could lead to events such as the Jan. 6 insurrection, Meta says it will not remove it but it may limit its reach. This includes praising the QAnon conspiracy theory or trying to delegitimize an upcoming election.
While Trump has insisted publicly that he has no intention of returning to Twitter, he has been discussing doing so in recent weeks, according to two people familiar with the plans who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.
Though it has been eclipsed culturally by newer rivals like TikTok, Facebook remains the worldB次元官网网址檚 largest social media site and is an incredibly powerful political platform, particularly among older Americans, who are most likely to vote and give money to campaigns.
Throughout his tenure as president, TrumpB次元官网网址檚 use of social media posed a significant challenge to major social media platforms trying to balance the publicB次元官网网址檚 need to hear from their elected leaders with worries about misinformation, harassment and incitement of violence.
B次元官网网址淚n a healthier information ecosystem, the decisions of a single company would not carry such immense political significance, and we hope that new platforms will emerge to challenge the hegemony of the social media giants,B次元官网网址� the ACLUB次元官网网址檚 Romero said.
B次元官网网址斺赌斺赌�
Associated Press Writer David Klepper in Washington and AP Technology Writer Frank Bajak in Boston contributed to this story.
By Barbara Ortutay And Jill Colvin ()
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Like us on and follow us on .
