June 4, 2021 3:21 PM | With information from EFE
15 minutes. Facebook reported this Friday that the platform’s veto to former President Donald Trump will last for at least 2 years, following the request of the advisory council to review the indefinite measure, an announcement that was considered an “abuse” and “censorship” by the republican.
The company said in a statement that the suspension has been in effect since January 7 and that will decide within two years on his possible re-entry.
According to the communication, his return to the social network could occur after determining “if it continues to be a serious danger to public safety”.
“This penalty only applies to our services. Trump is and will continue to be free to express himself publicly through other means. Our approach reflects the way we try to balance the values of freedom of expression and security in our services, for all users. “explained the company.
“In the end we will win”
Former US President Donald Trump (2017-2021) on Friday called the two-year veto announced by Facebook “censorship,” an “abuse.” He argued that it is “an insult to the record 75 million people, in addition to many others, who voted” for him in the last elections, in which Democrat Joe Biden prevailed.
“They must not be allowed to get away with this censorship and this attempt to silence. In the end we will win.”The former president wrote in a statement, minutes after the technology giant’s decision was known.
Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts have been closed since the assault on the Capitol on January 6 by thousands of supporters of the former president, some of them armed, and which left 5 dead.
Facebook justifies the measure
Facebook justified the 2-year suspension to allow “time” that serves to deter Trump and others from committing “such serious violations in the future,” and that is commensurate with the severity of such abuses.
A month ago, Facebook’s advisory board asked the company to review the indefinite veto of the former president.
The body, created by the company itself to act as a sort of supreme court on what content should be removed from the platform, supported the reasons for the suspension but considered that an indefinite veto would be an “arbitrary” decision.
In his statement this Friday, Facebook introduced a system of “penalties” to punish the behavior of public figures in periods of violence or riots.
Penalties range from one month suspension to two years without access to the group’s social networks and will be evaluated by experts.
“We know that any sanction we apply or decide not to apply will be controversial,” the company explained.
“Today’s decision will be criticized by many people with opposing political views, but our job is to make a decision in the most proportionate, fair and transparent way possible“the statement added.
Psaki reacts
White House press secretary Jen Psaki hinted that former President Trump is unlikely to change his demeanor.
According to The Hill, Psaki addressed the issue during a briefing at the White House. “Watching him, we learned a lot from President Trump, the former president, in recent years about his behavior and how he uses these platforms,” he said.
“It seems quite unlikely that the zebra is going to change its stripes in the next two years. We’ll see.”added the press secretary according to The Hill.
