In January, former US President Donald Trump lost much of his digital outreach when Facebook indefinitely banned him from using its platform and Instagram, which they own. Like other social networks, Facebook raised concerns that Trump's online remarks could provoke more violence in the wake of the deadly Capitol Hill riot that month. Shortly after suspending the account, Facebook asked the Oversight Board to review Trump’s ban. Initially scheduled for 90 days, the review was postponed in April after more than 9,000 public remarks came in commenting on the ruling.
It was on Wednesday that the organization announced its decision of upholding Facebook’s ban. In its ruling, the board affirms that Trump’s posts on January 6th, while “maintaining an unfounded narrative of electoral fraud and persistent calls to action” contributed to the violence of the Capital Hill riot. The decision opposes the “World Leader” policy adopted by Twitter which took a lighter moderation approach to political leaders and instead found that leaders should be held to the same or higher standards. While endorsing Facebook’s decision, the Oversight Board also ruled that Facebook had issued a punishment that the social network's own rules don't describe and hadn't adequately explained its reasoning for the penalty. The board told Facebook that it was avoiding the responsibility of its own decision and essentially trying to use the Board as a scapegoat and it'll be up to the social network, not the board, to decide the length of Trump's suspension.
First announced in 2018, the Oversight Board is funded by a grant from Facebook but politically independent from the company, composed of independent experts from a range of countries and backgrounds. It was designed to serve as an international appeals court for high-stakes moderation cases, although the Trump ban is by far the highest-profile case to come before the organization. The Oversight Board’s decisions are not technically binding, but so far, Facebook has deferred to its judgment on individual appeals. Facebook also responded favorably to several of its other recommendations, agreeing to clarify some policies and test new features. It explicitly disagreed with only one suggestion, which was loosening its rules against posting pandemic-related false information.
Facebook has six months to review the Trump ban from the platform, a decision that'll also have an impact on other political leaders around the globe. Social media played a large role in Trump’s rise to prominence, and many see it as critical to maintaining his influence in future campaigns.
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