Social media company Meta announced on Saturday that it will lift some of the restrictions placed on former US President Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Trump’s accounts were suspended indefinitely after he praised the people who stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
In early 2023, Meta reinstated its accounts, but indicated it would monitor Trump’s posts for further violations that could result in another suspension of between one month and two years.
However, now in the context of the US presidential race the company has decided to remove this additional tracking, stating that the American people should “be able to listen to the two candidates on the same basis,” the newspaper quoted The vanguard.
“As we assess our responsibility to enable political expression, we believe the American people should be able to hear from presidential candidates on the same basis,” Meta said in an updated blog post.
Donald Trump, who is competing against current US President Joe Biden to return to the White House, will no longer be subject to additional monitoring in their Facebook and Instagram accountsas reported by Meta.
The decision has drawn criticism from some social media experts, who have long argued that Meta and other platforms fail to adequately moderate political content, including that of candidates.
Trump too was banned from Twitternow called X, in 2021. Billionaire Elon Musk restored his account shortly after acquiring the company in 2022, though Trump has only posted once since.
This change in Meta’s policy comes at a crucial time as Americans prepare for the upcoming presidential election and reinforces the importance of allowing equal access to political expression on social media platforms.
On Saturday, several hours after Meta’s announcement, Trump was the victim of an attack during a rally in Pennsylvania, where he was injured in the ear.