Facebook owns an independent body called the Oversight
Board, which was constituted last year with the purpose to review some of the
most complex platform moderation decisions. The Board is now open to public
comments on Facebook’s decision to “indefinitely” ban former President Donald
Trump following the mob attacks on the US Capitol took place on the 6th
of January.
There were two posts that led Facebook to ban Trump from
both Facebook and Instagram for the next 24 hours. One of the posts included a video
that Trump posted on his account, that contained false claims regarding the US
elections. The other post was a written one that read “These are the things and
events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so
unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been
badly & unfairly treated for so long. Go home with love & in peace.
Remember this day forever!”
Facebook then said that the ban would remain in place indefinitely and through Inauguration Day at least. As a result, Trump has not been allowed to post anything on Facebook or Instagram since January 6th.
The company referred its decision to its Oversight Board
that is expected to make a final decision by the end of next month. Vice
president of Facebook’s global affairs and communications Nick Clegg said “We
believe our decision was necessary and right.”
Now the social media company is seeking the public’s opinion
on whether its decision complies with its responsibilities to respect freedom
of expression and human rights, and what it should do should in case a similar
situation arises in the future.
According to the Oversight Board, it will be accepting
public comments until 10AM ET on February 5th. There are also some
requirements that it has stated, such as the submissions must be written in
English and be no longer than two pages when written in 12-point Times New
Roman font, among others.
