In recent developments, it has been reported that Facebook’s parent company Meta will remove restrictions currently placed on former US President Donald Trump’s Instagram and Facebook accounts. These restrictions have resulted in stricter penalties, such as limiting the ability of the account to run advertisements or having the account suspended for violating the platform’s policies. A spokesperson confirmed this information to Axios.
Meta ended the suspension of Trump’s accounts in January 2023, more than two years after Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube imposed bans or suspensions on him following the January 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol. Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs, stated that in assessing their responsibility to allow political expression, “the American people should be able to hear from the nominees for president on the same platform.
Although Meta lifted the suspension of Trump’s accounts last year, new measures were put in place to “deter repeat offenses.” The spokesperson told Axios that these guardrails were designed to “limit any public figure’s accounts during civil unrest,” but so far, only Donald Trump’s accounts have been subject to these restrictions.
The spokesperson added that Trump’s Instagram and Facebook accounts did not violate Meta’s policies during the restriction period. In his statement, Clegg mentioned that the imposed restrictions on Trump’s social media accounts were a “response to extreme and extraordinary circumstances.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk restored Trump’s Twitter account in November 2022, although he has only posted once since then.