Facebook will lift its platform ban on Donald Trump as he prepares for another run for president.
Former UK Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who is currently president of global communications at Facebook and parent company Instagram, said the platform will lift a two-year ban that was put in place in 2021 amid Trump’s allegations of inciting unrest.
When the ban went into effect, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg cited Trump’s “disturbing…decision to use his platform to support rather than condemn the actions of his supporters in the Capitol.”
But in a blog post on Wednesday, Mr Clegg said he could now return to the platform following Elon Musk’s decision to reinstate his Twitter account.
Mr Clegg said the “serious public safety risk that existed in January 2021” is now “quite reduced” and “we will therefore restore Mr. Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts in the coming weeks.”
He said there would be “new fencing to deter repeat offenders,” adding that he would receive “increased penalties” for rule breakers.
Mr. Clegg said: “If Mr. Trump posts further infringing content, that content will be removed and he will be suspended from work for a period of one month to two years, depending on the severity of the infringement.”
He responded to concerns that Trump could use the platform to spread disinformation after confirming his intention to run for president in 2024. but will not be distributed in people’s feeds.
Mr Clegg added: “There is a significant debate about how social media companies should handle content posted on their platforms…. It’s a fact that people on the internet always say everything. By default, we allow people to speak up, even if they are unpleasant or factually wrong.
“We know that every decision we make on this issue will be heavily criticized. Reasonable people will disagree whether this is the right decision. But a decision had to be made, so we tried to make the most of it.”
When he founded his ailing Twitter rival Truth Social, Mr. Trump agreed to a “social media exclusivity clause” requiring him to use it as his “first channel for all social media communications.”
He has not returned to Twitter, although his account has been reinstated, although Rolling Stone reported this week that he is considering exiting the deal and returning to Twitter.
Source: I News
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