Yesterday, Thursday, Meta finally ended the two-year long ban on former US President Donald Trump‘s Facebook and Instagram accounts as announced by company spokesman Andy Stone.
Following the insurrection at Capitol Hill, Facebook and Instagram took drastic action by banning President Trump’s accounts. This came after weeks of his persistent refusal to acknowledge Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg declared that this measure was taken in light of Trump’s extensive activity on these platforms inciting violence and celebrating riots committed by his followers.
At the end of January, Meta declared that they plan on reviving Trump’s accounts in the near future. Furthermore, any further policy violation will be met with a month-long to two-year ban depending upon its gravity.
Just last month, the US tech giant declared a revision to their policies for content that does not breach their rules but may still encourage violent or destructive actions comparable to what happened during the Capitol assault on January 6th of 2021.
If it is determined that inappropriate content has been released, Meta will take measures to prevent its further dissemination by restricting user’s ability to share posts. Additionally, access may be restricted on advertising tools available through the company’s platform.
Trump’s recent ability to regain access to the main social media platforms is of noteworthy importance, as it will grant him the opportunity to reach voters and secure political donations before his potential US presidential campaign in 2024.
It is remarkable that Trump had 23 million followers on Instagram and 34 million followers on Facebook, as of last January. This proves his global influence and reach across social media platforms.
Taking advantage of his widespread popularity on social media, Trump was propelled to the White House in 2016. Since then, he has relentlessly used it as a way to unify and invigorate his followers.
The prohibition of Trump’s accounts on Facebook and Instagram was lifted after Twitter CEO, Elon Musk, conducted a survey in November to gauge public opinion regarding the permanent suspension of his platform. Nonetheless, no posts have been made by the former U.S president since then.
Currently, President Trump is satisfied with utilizing his Truth Social network as a means to connect with his supporters after he was denied access on other networks. He has diligently worked to develop and maintain this social platform since its conception in order to keep an open dialogue between himself and those who support him.
