Facebook Oversight Board on Wednesday upheld the company’s suspension of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s accounts.
Board had met earlier Wednesday to rule on whether Trump can return to Facebook and Instagram.
Trump was banned from both social media sites in January following the Capitol Hill riots.
Wednesday’s ruling on Trump is set to be the biggest decision the board has taken since it was formed last year. The ruling cannot be appealed against and cannot be overruled by any Facebook employee.
Often referred to as “Facebook’s Supreme Court”, it was set up to rule on difficult or controversial moderation decisions made by Facebook.
At the time of the suspension, Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said in a post that “the risks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great.” The company later referred the case to its recently established board, which includes academics, lawyers and rights activists, to decide whether to uphold the ban or restore Trump.
“Both of those decisions are no-win decisions for Facebook,” said Kate Klonick, an assistant law professor at St. John’s University who embedded at Facebook to follow the board’s creation. “So, offloading those to a third party, the Oversight Board, is a win for them no matter what.”
The board’s rule was a much-awaited verdict that analysts said may signal how the company will treat rule-breaking world leaders in the
