Meta will reinstate former President Donald Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts in the coming weeks. The move comes after Donald Trump's block on the platforms Two years ago, after encouraging the public to attack the United States Capitol building on January 6, 2021.
Before Meta decided to unblock Donald Trump's accounts from social media platforms, it assessed whether the serious risk to public better safety that existed during the events of January 2021 has been reduced.
The company ultimately decided that the risk had "adequately subsided" and so it must stick to the two-year timeline it had implemented.
Meta's president of global affairs, Nick Clegg, further explained:
The suspension was an extraordinary decision taken in extraordinary circumstances. The normal state of affairs is that the public should be able to access the account of a former President of the United States, and a declared candidate for that office again, on our platforms. Now that the suspension period has passed, the question is not whether we will choose to reinstate Mr. Trump's accounts, but whether there are still such extraordinary circumstances that justify extending the suspension beyond the original two years.
Despite the reinstatement of accounts, Meta will have “new guardrails”. In addition to the accounts being subject to Facebook and Instagram's community standards, Trump will also face stiffer penalties for any repeat offenses. If he publishes content that violates Meta's standards, posts will be removed and re-suspended for one month to two years, depending on the severity infringements.
In addition, the company said it can limit the distribution of Trump posts that don't violate its community standards, but that could contribute to a new Jan. 6. This means that the posts will be visible on Trump's account, but will not appear in the feeds of others, even if they follow the former President.
