Washington: Facebook Inc on Friday suspended former US President Donald Trump from its platform until at least January 2023. “Given the gravity of the circumstances that led to Mr. Trump’s suspension, we believe his actions constituted a severe violation of our rules which merit the highest penalty available under the new enforcement protocols,” Facebook said.
In May, Facebook’s independent oversight board had upheld its block on Trump, which was enforced in the wake of the Jan. 6 riot at the US Capitol over concerns that his posts were inciting violence.
However, the board ruled it was wrong to make the ban indefinite and gave it six months to determine a “proportionate response.”
Trump’s suspension was effective from the initial date in January and will only be reinstated if conditions permit, Facebook said in a blog post.
The decision came on the same day as Europe and Britain launched formal antitrust investigations into whether Facebook misuses its vast trove of customer data.