January 25, 2023
Former President Donald Trump may soon be back on Facebook and Instagram.
Facebook’s parent company Meta just announced it will be ending the suspension of his accounts in the coming weeks.
In this message posted to Facebook, the global affairs president says “as a general rule we don’t want to get in the way of open, public and democratic debate on meta platforms.”
They say they want the public to hear what their politicians are saying the “good the bad and the ugly”.
But—the post goes on to say that doesn’t mean there are no limits to what you can say on Facebook and Instagram… and when someone demonstrates “real world harm” “we act.”
Trump’s accounts have been suspended since the attack on the US Capitol on January 6th. But now that his accounts will be reinstated, it also comes with new “guardrails” including, heightened penalties for repeat offenses and possible limiting of post distribution. Especially those that delegitimize upcoming elections or content related to Qanon. Meta also left its ability to remove his posts and suspend him again on the table. These guardrails will apply to all public figures who have been suspended in the past.
Read the announcement from Meta here.
