Yesterday, Thursday, Meta lifted the ban, which lasted more than two years, on the accounts of former US President Donald Trump on the Facebook and Instagram networks, according to what was confirmed by the company's spokesman, Andy Stone.
Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts were suspended following the attack of his supporters, who rejected the results of the 2020 presidential election that led to Joe Biden's victory. At that time, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that Trump's accounts were banned for inciting violence and praising the riots that his supporters had brought.
And Meta announced in late January that it intends to restore Trump's accounts "in the coming weeks", and if Trump again violates the company's content policies, his accounts will be subject to an additional ban ranging from one month to two years, according to the severity of the violation.
And the US tech giant announced last month that it would update its policies for content that does not explicitly violate its rules, but may incite violent or harmful behavior similar to the attack on the Capitol building on January 6, 2021.
In the event that such content is proven to be published, Meta said it will restrict its spread by preventing users from sharing posts. The company can also restrict the account's access to advertising tools.
It is noteworthy that Trump's restoration now of access to his accounts on major social media platforms will allow him to reach voters and collect political donations before running for the US presidential elections scheduled for 2024.
Trump reportedly has about 23 million followers on Instagram, and 34 million followers on Facebook, as of last January.
Trump had benefited from his popularity on social networking sites to reach the White House in 2016, and then used it to rally his supporters on every occasion.
The lifting of the ban on Trump's accounts on Facebook and Instagram comes after the CEO of Twitter, Elon Musk, last November canceled a decision to permanently suspend Trump's account on his platform after polling users' opinions, yet the former US president has not posted anything there since the cancellation.
As for Trump, he is currently content with publishing his messages on the social network, Truth Social, which he created and controls with the aim of finding a platform for him after he was denied access to his supporters via other networks.
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