Former US President Donald Trump has blasted Facebook’s decision
to extend his ban as they plan to review his case for another six months to
determine a defined penalty.
Recall the social media giant had announced in January that Trump
was locked out of his accounts on Facebook and Instagram indefinitely following
the deadly Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol by his supporters.
On Wednesday, Facebook's Oversight Board temporarily upheld the
ban on Trump's accounts for another six months to final decision.
Within six months, "Facebook must reexamine the arbitrary
penalty it imposed on January 7 and decide the appropriate penalty," the
board said Wednesday. "This penalty must be based on the gravity of the
violation and the prospect of future harm. It must also be consistent with
Facebook's rules for severe violations, which must, in turn, be clear,
necessary and proportionate."
"It is not permissible for Facebook to keep a user off the
platform for an undefined period, with no criteria for when or whether the
account will be restored," the board said.
The board claimed that Facebook gave Trump's account "a
vague, standardless penalty" and then tried to "avoid its responsibilities"
by sending the "case to the Board to resolve."
"If Facebook decides to restore Mr. Trump's accounts, the
company should apply its rules to that decision, including any changes made in
response to the Board's policy recommendations below," the board's ruling
said. "In this scenario, Facebook must address any further violations
promptly and in accordance with its established content policies."
Nick Clegg, Facebook's vice president of global affairs and
communications, said Facebook would consider the board's decision and
"determine an action that is clear and proportionate."
"In the meantime, Mr. Trump’s accounts remain
suspended," Clegg said in a statement.
Trump responded to the board's ruling, saying in a statement:
'What Facebook, Twitter, and Google have done is a total disgrace and an
embarrassment to our Country.
'Free Speech has been taken away from the President of the United
States because the Radical Left Lunatics are afraid of the truth, but the truth
will come out anyway, bigger and stronger than ever before.
'The People of our Country will not stand for it! These corrupt
social media companies must pay a political price, and must never again be
allowed to destroy and decimate our Electoral Process.'
This comes a day after Trump launched a communications platform,
where he can post messages that can be shared by others to Twitter and
Facebook, sites where he remains banned.
The platform, "From the Desk of Donald J. Trump" appears
on www.DonaldJTrump.com/desk. The platform allows Trump to post comments,
images, and videos.
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