Tech giant Meta announced in a blog post on Wednesday it will reinstate the Facebook and Instagram accounts of former US President Donald Trump, who was suspended across its platforms after January 6, 2021, insurrection by his followers.
According to Nick Clegg, president of global affairs at Meta, Trump’s almost two years long suspension on both Facebook and Instagram will be lifted in the coming weeks following a review of the case.
Meta said in its news release on Wednesday that the suspension of Trump’s accounts was an extraordinary decision taken in extraordinary circumstances, so the question was not whether the company chooses to reinstate his accounts, but whether there remain such extraordinary circumstances to justify extending the suspension beyond the original two-year period.
Noting that despite being a former President of the United States, and a declared candidate for that office again, Meta emphasized that Trump is a user of their platforms just like anybody else and would face increased penalties if he repeats offenses by violating the rules.
Depending on the severity of the violation, Trump could be suspended for between one month and two years and the violating content he posted will be removed.
After Twitter’s new owner, Elon Musk, unbanned Trump following his acquisition of the company last October, the former president was returned control over his Twitter account but, at the time, he dismissed the idea to return to the messaging platform.
Trump started his own social media service called “Truth Social” after he was banned from social media platforms.
After Trump declared himself a candidate in the coming 2024 presidential race, Trump’s legal team mounted an effort last week to regain control over his Facebook account for use, arguing that Trump’s account should be reinstated since Meta later decided to shorten his lifetime ban to a two-year ban with review afterward.
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