/cloudfront-us-east-2.images.arcpublishing.com/reuters/XKUHFXWFFZPQTGASGF7DVA4Y5M.jpg "Former U.S. President Donald Trump announces that he will once again run for U.S. president in the 2024 U.S. presidential election during an event at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. November 15, 2022. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst")
Facebook and Instagram have restored former President Donald Trump's accounts after a two-year suspension, according to a statement from the social media giant. The accounts were suspended following the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, when Trump's supporters stormed the building, resulting in the deaths of five people.
In the statement, Facebook said it will restore Trump's accounts after a review by an independent oversight board, which concluded that the platform should not have banned Trump in the first place. The board also said that the risk of violence by Trump supporters had been “significantly reduced” since the insurrection.
The oversight board, which was set up by Facebook in 2020, is an independent body that reviews content moderation decisions made by the platform. It is made up of experts in human rights, journalism, and online content moderation.
According to Facebook, the oversight board made several recommendations in its decision to restore Trump's accounts, including the need for more transparency around content moderation decisions and the use of independent oversight. Facebook said it will review the recommendations and act on them.
The decision to restore Trump's accounts has sparked mixed reactions. Some have welcomed the move, arguing that it is important to uphold free speech and that the ban was an infringement on Trump's right to express his views. Others have criticized the decision, arguing that Trump has a history of spreading misinformation and hate speech and that restoring his accounts could lead to further incitement of violence.
Trump himself has also weighed in on the decision, issuing a statement in which he said he was "honored" to be back on the platform and that he would continue to "speak out" and "fight for the American people."
The decision to restore Trump's accounts comes as Facebook faces increasing pressure from lawmakers, civil rights groups, and other organizations to address the spread of misinformation and hate speech on its platform
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