Facebook bans Trump for 2 years, He calls it an insult to 75m people
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Washington: Facebook has decided to extend the account suspension of former US President Donald Trump to two years after months of debate over whether his actions worth continuing the suspension that had imposed on January 7 this year.
Announcing the suspension of Trump's account for two years, Facebook in a statement said that the former President's actions have been found to be justifying the decision to ban him for the next two years.
"Given the gravity of the circumstances that led to Mr Trump's suspension, we believe his actions constituted a severe violation of our rules which merit the highest penalty available under the new enforcement protocols. We are suspending his accounts for two years, effective from the date of the initial suspension on January 7 this year," said Nick Clegg, Facebook's vice-president of global affairs.
Trump has been out of both Facebook and Instagram since January after his posts have been found praising the Capitol attack by his supporters with the intention to upturn the 2020 presidential election. Facebook termed his posts incendiary that appeared to be posing a great risk in an attempt to remain on the public platform.
In his statement, Clegg further said that Facebook would continue to ascertain the risk factors involving in the restoration of Trump's account. External factors, including instances of violence, restrictions on peaceful assembly and other markers of civil unrest would be evaluated to determine how these factors are affected, he said.
The process of assessment of these risks to the public safety would be continued over a period and the curbs on the accounts will also be continued accordingly until any receding element of the risk has appeared, Clegg added.
An oversight board, constituting an independent advisory committee of academics, media figures and former politicians, debated for months over the reinstatement of Trump's account. The extension of the suspension is the result of the oversight board's assessment that his posts still pose a threat to public harmony.
Responding to Facebook's Friday suspension decision, Donald Trump said that the extension is nothing but an insult to over 75 million people who voted for him in the 2020 Presidential Election. Trump received fewer than 75m votes in the 2020 election, which he lost. He also hinted at a 2024 run.
