Facebook has announced that former US President Donald Trump will remain suspended from the platform for a minimum of two years. It has also announced the introduction of new protocols for dealing with "exceptional cases" of rule violations by public figures during times of civil unrest. The decision brings some clarity to Trump's case after it was bounced back and forth between Facebook and its Oversight Board. It also provides an opportunity to look back at how this point arrived and what the implications of Facebook's decision may be.
referred to Facebook's Oversight Board, which in a stroke of fortuitous timing had only begun operating in October 2020. The board gives independent rulings on Facebook's content decisions and recommendations for how Facebook should proceed with them — although Facebook is not obliged to follow the recommendations. In May, it announced that it had upheld Trump's suspension but found that a time-bound period should have been given for it, forcing Facebook to make a decision on that — something that some have suggested the company was perhaps trying to outsource, using the Oversight Board as a lightning rod of sorts.
violates Facebook's Community Standards, even if it is deemed newsworthy.
Facebook's Trump Suspension Implications
Trump will be suspended until at least January 7, 2023. Then, Facebook says it "will look to experts to assess whether the risk to public safety has receded." Among the external factors it will take into are instances of violence, restrictions on peaceful assembly, and other markers of civil unrest. However, it is not clear how Facebook might select the experts it intends to canvas.
It's also not clear how Facebook determined the time penalties for public figures at times of civil unrest — it did not provide an explanation in its announcement. Some have noted the two-year maximum falls short of the 2024 presidential election cycle. Were Trump to be reinstated after two years, though, Facebook says he will be subject to a "strict set of rapidly escalating sanctions" that will come into play with any further transgressions and could result in the permanent removal of his s and pages.
There's plenty to pore over in all this and political outlook will inform many people's view of whether the right decision has been made or not. Politics aside, though, ability has been explored, processes have held up, Facebook hasn't been allowed to duck a difficult decision, and there are new measures in place for this and similar cases in the future. Whisper it quietly, but the Oversight Board may just be working.
Sources: Facebook 1, 2, 3, Oversight Board 1, 2, Wired