The upcoming 2024 United States presidential election has stirred up the tech giant Meta, which decided on Friday (July 12) to lift the restrictions on the Facebook and Instagram accounts of the Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump. This marks the first time since 2021 that Meta has fully unshackled Trump.
After the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, Trump’s accounts were suspended by the Meta platform for two years, only to be restored in January 2023 with some restrictions remaining, including harsher penalties for repeated violations.
However, on Friday, Nick Clegg, Meta’s Global Affairs Chief, announced in a statement that as the party conventions are set to take place, the presidential nominees will soon be officially declared. After evaluation, Meta deemed it necessary to lift the additional penalties on Trump’s accounts to “allow for political expression” and ensure that the American people hear from both presidential nominees on “equal terms.”
Clegg stated that this decision was made to place Republican candidate Trump “on an equal footing with the incumbent President Biden.”
Throughout his presidency, Trump utilized social media as a megaphone, attracting significant attention from the American populace.
The news was first reported by Axios.
Nevertheless, Meta emphasized that Trump must still adhere to the same standards as all Facebook and Instagram users, including the prohibition of hate speech and violence incitement. Should Trump violate Meta’s community guidelines again, his accounts will face suspension once more.
For a long time, Trump and his supporters have criticized the social media conglomerates’ moderation policies, alleging deliberate suppression of conservative voices.
Although Trump has already moved to other platforms, primarily using Truth Social as his voice, he has also resumed posting regularly on Facebook and Instagram since the restoration of his accounts and even registered on TikTok last month.
However, he has only shared information once on the X platform.