Meta creates working group to unblock Trump's accounts: Reports

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
1 Jan 2023 12:15

Will Donald Trump be allowed back on Meta's social platforms?

US President Donald Trump.

The Meta company has formed a special working group to resolve the issue of restoring former US President Donald Trump's access to blocked accounts on the Facebook and Instagram social networks, according to the Financial Times newspaper.

The working group includes employees from the company's public policy and communications departments, as well as the content policy and safety and integrity departments, according to the newspaper.

The final decisions on moderation were previously made by the company's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, who is now focusing on work on the metaverse, according to the report. However, as CEO and controlling shareholder, Zuckerberg may intervene in the process, according to the report.

A decision on Trump's accounts is expected to be made later in the month, the report said.

Following the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021, Trump was barred from using both Twitter and Facebook. His activities in relation to the event were deemed to be in violation of the platforms' policies.

Later, the former president launched the Truth Social social network to combat Big Tech censorship and protect the right to free speech and expression.

Moreover, Donald Trump's Twitter account was restored on November 20 after Elon Musk conducted a poll in which a small majority of respondents supported the move, just days after the former US president announced another White House candidacy.

Trump's account was blocked from the network in early 2021 for his role in the January 6 attack on the US Capitol by a mob of his supporters wanting to reverse the 2020 election results.

"The people have spoken. Trump will be reinstated," Musk tweeted, shortly after the 24-hour Twitter poll on his account ended.