Trump Facebook Ban and Jan 6 Insurrection

Bond, S. (2021, May 5). Facebook ban on Donald Trump will hold, social network's oversight board rules. NPR.org. https://www.npr.org/2021/05/05/987679590/facebook-justified-in-banning-donald-trump-social-medias-oversight-board-rules

According to the author, Facebook’s Oversight Board said that the platform was justified in its decision to suspend Trump when they met in April. What that means that Facebook does not have to reinstate Trump’s access to Facebook and Instagram immediately. However, the panel said that it was wrong to have an indefinite bam and that Facebook has only 6 months to make a move, either to restore the account or suspend him permanently or even give him a suspension period. The panel stated that when Facebook suspended in January 2020, there was a clear immediate risk of harm and his alleged words of support for people involved in the violent actions on January 6. So, Facebook's action was considered to be justified. The author says that it is alleged that Facebook made the decision in an attempt avoid its responsibilities, which the panel decided was vague, standardless penalty. In a statement Trump responded that Facebook, Twitter, and Google had taken away his free speech and that their actions were a total disgrace and an embarrassment to the US. The possibility of stripping Trump oof the ability to interact with millions of fans on Facebook and Instagram has elicited criticism and many people feel that the company is biased against conservatives. Even people who wanted to see Trump banned from social media doubted the panels legitimacy after learning of their decision. Some people feel that the panel failed to offer a solution and left the matter hanging. So, they seem incapable of solving the issues ailing them on social media.

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