Former President Donald Trump may be running for office again, but he is still unable to use Facebook.
The social media network has no plans to reinstate Trump’s account, the business stated Wednesday, following the former president’s revelation that he will seek reelection. Following the assault on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, Trump was removed off Facebook.
Trump may not have to wait too long to return visit the site. His Facebook restriction will be revisited in January, two years after it was initially issued.
One change will take effect immediately: Trump will no longer be subject to Facebook truth checks as a candidate. According to Facebook’s guidelines, elected officials and candidates for office are exempt from fact checks on the platform.
Throughout his presidency, Trump’s use of social media posed a significant challenge to social media platforms attempting to strike a balance between the public’s need to hear from their elected leaders and concerns about misinformation, harassment, and incitement to violence.
After the violence on January 6, Trump was also banned from Snapchat, Twitter, and Instagram, which are owned by Facebook’s parent company, Meta. Trump has lost the ability to upload videos to his YouTube account.
Ivy Choi, a spokesperson for YouTube, stated on Wednesday that the company has no intentions to lift the restriction.
Elon Musk, the new owner of Twitter, has stated that he disagrees with the platform’s decision to ban Donald Trump following the January 6 attack. Musk stated that there will be no notification regarding the reinstatement of banned users until a content moderation council has assessed the problem.
Twitter did not reply to inquiries regarding the impact of Trump’s candidacy on the decision. Since his suspension, Trump has launched his own social networking platform, TruthSocial, and stated he has no intention of rejoining Twitter if given the opportunity.
Heidi Beirich, founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism and member of the Real Facebook Oversight Board, a group that has criticized Meta’s response to extremist content and disinformation, stated that the platforms would be justified if they extended or made permanent their restrictions on Donald Trump.
“The most significant issue is treating candidates as if they belong to a special category and deserve special treatment,” Beirich stated. “A set of rules should be applicable to everyone. The choice should not be difficult.”
Facebook initially suspended Trump’s account for 24 hours on January 6 after he praised the Capitol-storming rioters. Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and chief executive officer of Facebook, announced an indefinite suspension on January 7, 2021, stating that “the risks of allowing the President to continue using our service during this period are simply too great.”
The quasi-independent oversight board of the company upheld the ban but instructed Facebook to establish a time limit. The ban will expire on January 7, 2023.