Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Facebook wants you to comment on its Trump ban. Here's how.

Facebook wants you to comment on its Trump ban. Here's how.

The company's Oversight Board announced its first case decisions last week

Facebook's Oversight Board is calling for public input regarding the indefinite suspension of former President Donald Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Facebook elected to refer the case to the board on Jan. 21, and the board announced the decision to take up the mantle a week later.

A description of the case provided on the board's website details the removal of two posts during the deadly Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol.

The first post was a video Trump posted as members of both parties called for him to speak out against the riot and urge the mob to stop. Trump, repeating unfounded claims, said in the video that while he knew the "election was stolen," there had to be peace.

"This was a fraudulent election, but we can't play into the hands of these people. We have to have peace. So go home," he urged. "We love you. You're very special. You've seen what happens. You see the way others are treated that are so bad and so evil. I know how you feel. But go home and go home in peace."


Supporters of President Donald Trump rally at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington.


Facebook removed the post for violating its community standard on "Dangerous Individuals and Organizations."

In a statement the same day, Trump wrote in a second post: "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."

Facebook removed that post under the same standard but has not clarified specifically what aspect of the policy it violated.

The social media giant then put a temporary 24-hour ban on the president's accounts, before indefinitely suspending his access on Jan. 7.

Facebook has yet to clarify the nature of the restrictions against Trump, but cited the use of their platform "incite violent insurrection against a democratically elected government."

The board noted under the post descriptions that Facebook had said the decision to suspend Trump was "take in extraordinary circumstances" but that they believe it was "necessary and right" when weighted against their Community Standards.

What's left for the board -- and the public -- to determine is if the tech company was, indeed, correct to take action.

Furthermore, Facebook is requesting "observations or recommendations on suspensions when the user is a political leader."

“We believe our decision was necessary and right,” Facebook Vice President of Global Affairs and Communications Nick Clegg said in a statement. “Given its significance, we think it is important for the board to review it and reach an independent judgment on whether it should be upheld.”



Developed to be Facebook’s “Supreme Court," the Oversight Board -- which was formed just last year -- announced its first decisions on five cases Thursday.

In four of the five cases they reviewed, they overturned Facebook's decisions to remove content related to multiple issues.

In order to reach fair conclusions, the 20-person group has placed value on comments from the general public.

"The Board is committed to bringing diverse perspectives from third parties into the case review process," they explain on their website. "Through our public comment process, we invite subject matter experts and other interested groups to share relevant information that may help the Oversight Board deliberate specific cases."


"We recognise the level of interest in our case regarding former US President Trump," they wrote in a series of tweets on Friday. "We encourage people and organizations to share their insights through our public comments process..."

In order to submit a comment, interested parties must meet several requirements including being written in English, no more than 2 pages in Times New Roman 12pt font, address the issues at hand, include a full name and/or organization, and meet a set deadline.

The Oversight Board's deadline to submit for this case is 10 a.m. EST on Monday, Feb. 8, 2021.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
EU Seeks ‘Farage Clause’ in Brexit Reset Talks With Britain
Germany Hit by Major Airport Strikes Disrupting European Travel
Russia Deploys Hypersonic Missile in Strike on Ukraine
There is no sovereign immunity for poisoning millions with drugs.
Béla Tarr, Visionary Hungarian Filmmaker, Dies at Seventy After Long Illness
German Intelligence Secretly Intercepted Obama’s Air Force One Communications
The U.S. State Department’s account in Persian: “President Trump is a man of action. If you didn’t know it until now, now you do—do not play games with President Trump.”
President Trump Says United States Will Administer Venezuela Until a Secure Leadership Transition
Delta Force Identified as Unit Behind U.S. Operation That Captured Venezuela’s President
Europe’s Luxury Sanctions Punish Russian Consumers While a Sanctions-Circumvention Industry Thrives
Europe’s Largest Defence Groups Set to Return Nearly Five Billion Dollars to Shareholders in Twenty Twenty-Five
Diamonds Are Powering a New Quantum Revolution
The Battle Over the Internet Explodes: The United States Bars European Officials and Ignites a Diplomatic Crisis
Fine Wine Investors Find Little Cheer in Third Year of Falls
Caviar and Foie Gras? China Is Becoming a Luxury Food Powerhouse
Hackers Are Hiding Malware in Open-Source Tools and IDE Extensions
Traveling to USA? Homeland Security moving toward requiring foreign travelers to share social media history
Trump in Direct Assault: European Leaders Are Weak, Immigration a Disaster. Russia Is Strong and Big — and Will Win
EU Firms Struggle with 3,000-Hour Paperwork Load — While Automakers Fear De Facto 2030 Petrol Car Ban
White House launches ‘Hall of Shame’ site to publicly condemn media outlets for alleged bias
European States Approve First-ever Military-Grade Surveillance Network via ESA
The Ukrainian Sumo Wrestler Who Escaped the War — and Is Captivating Japan
MediaWorld Sold iPad Air for €15 — Then Asked Customers to Return Them or Pay More
Car Parts Leader Warns Europe Faces Heavy Job Losses in ‘Darwinian’ Auto Shake-Out
Families Accuse OpenAI of Enabling ‘AI-Driven Delusions’ After Multiple Suicides
U.S. Envoys Deliver Ultimatum to Ukraine: Sign Peace Deal by Thursday or Risk Losing American Support
The U.S. State Department Announces That Mass Migration Constitutes an Existential Threat to Western Civilization and Undermines the Stability of Key American Allies
A Decade of Innovation Stagnation at Apple: The Cook Era Critique
German Entertainment Icons Alice and Ellen Kessler Die Together at Age 89
AI Researchers Claim Human-Level General Intelligence Is Already Here
Tragedy in Serbia: Coach Mladen Žižović Collapses During Match and Dies at 44
Trump–Putin Budapest Summit Cancelled After Moscow Memo Raises Conditions for Ukraine Talks
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
China Presses Netherlands to “properly” Resolve the Nexperia Seizure as Supply Chain Risks Grow
Merz Attacks Migrants, Sparks Uproar, and Refuses to Apologize: “Ask Your Daughters”
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
×