Facebook has suspended former U.S. President, Donald Trump, on Facebook and Instagram platforms for two years, effective January 7.
Facebook in a statement by Nick Clegg, Vice-President of Global Affairs, cited “severe violation” after Capitol Hill riots of January 6 and that Trump’s accounts would only be reinstated if conditions permitted.
“Last month, the Oversight Board upheld Facebook’s suspension of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts following his praise for people engaged in violence at the Capitol on January 6.
“But in doing so, the board criticised the open-ended nature of the suspension, stating that “it was not appropriate for Facebook to impose the indeterminate and standardless penalty of indefinite suspension”.
“The board instructed us to review the decision and respond in a way that is clear and proportionate, and made a number of recommendations on how to improve our policies and processes,” it said.
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“We are today announcing new enforcement protocols to be applied in exceptional cases such as this, and we are confirming the time-bound penalty consistent with those protocols which we are applying to Mr. Trump’s accounts.”
Facebook further stated that it believes Trump’s actions constituted a severe violation of its rules which merit the highest penalty available under the new enforcement protocols.
“At the end of the suspension, we will look to experts to assess whether the risk to public safety has receded.”
It added that it will evaluate external factors, including instances of violence, restrictions on peaceful assembly and other markers of civil unrest.
