Source link On January 7th, 2021, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, was allowed to return to social media after being banned by Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg in the wake of the Capitol Hill riots that occurred in January of this year. Facebook and Instagram had blocked Trump’s accounts after the events of January 6th, with the statement that “[r]isks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great.”
Trump’s banishment from the internet was not limited to social media, as Twitter had also blocked his accounts, citing the “risk of further incitement of violence.” Since the re-instatement of his accounts, Facebook and Instagram have returned, making Trump’s return to the world of social media complete.
The re-instatement of Donald Trump’s accounts has stirred up a lot of debate, as many people are unsure what the implications of his return may be, particularly in light of the events of January 6th. To help manage the risks associated with Trump’s return, Facebook and Instagram have put in place several content-moderation rules. According to the rules, any post made by Trump must “abide by Facebook’s Community Standards, including our rules against hate speech and any other rules that apply to all users” and any post that is deemed to be furthering “incitement of violence” will be deleted and the account will be reversed suspended.
The decision to allow Donald Trump back onto Facebook and Instagram has been met with a lot of criticism, with many people arguing that the social media giants are not doing enough to ensure Trump does not continue to incite violence. However, Facebook and Instagram have said that they are confident that the content-moderation rules will be able to ensure Trump’s posts will not be harmful to anyone.
Only time will tell whether or not Donald Trump’s return to social media will be beneficial to anyone or will lead to further chaos and disruption.
