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Do You Support Extending Trump's Facebook Ban Through 2023?
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Citing his “praise for people who engaged in violence” during the deadly insurrection at the United States Capitol on Jan. 6, Facebook upheld its suspension of Trump’s accounts on both Facebook and Instagram, saying he will be barred from using their social media platforms for two years.
“Given the gravity of the circumstances that led to Mr. Trump’s suspension, we believe his actions constituted a severe violation of our rules which merit the highest penalty available under the new enforcement protocols,” Facebook announced. “We are suspending his accounts for two years, effective from the date of the initial suspension on Jan. 7 this year.
“At the end of this period, we will look to experts to assess whether the risk to public safety has receded.”
The announcement comes after Facebook’s oversight board criticized the open-ended nature of the former president’s suspension, which was dubbed an “indeterminate and standard less penalty.”
According to Facebook, when it re-evaluates whether or not to allow Trump back on the social media platform, it will look to “instances of violence, restrictions on peaceful assembly and other markers of civil unrest" to determine if Trump’s accounts were still a threat to public safety.
Facebook is also publishing new details about its "strike system" and "newsworthiness" policies that follow the company’s Oversight Board recommendations.
Nick Clegg, Facebook’s Vice President of Global Affairs added that “When the suspension is eventually lifted, Mr. Trump’s account will be subject to new enhanced penalties if he violates our policies, up to and including permanent removal of his accounts.”
In response, Trump issued a statement of his own regarding the continued suspension, just after the former president shut down his “From the Desk of Donald J. Trump” blog page, which was mocked for its 1990s-type blog format and limited audience.
“Facebook’s ruling is an insult to the record-setting 75M people, plus many others, who voted for us in the 2020 Rigged Presidential Election,” he stated. “They shouldn’t be allowed to get away with this censoring and silencing, and ultimately, we will win. Our Country can’t take this abuse anymore!"
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