Former President Donald Trump won鈥檛 return to Facebook 鈥� at least not yet.
Four months after Facebook suspended Trump's accounts for inciting violence that led to the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot, the company's quasi-independent oversight board upheld the bans. But it told Facebook to specify how long they would last, saying that its 鈥渋ndefinite" ban on the former president was unreasonable. The ruling, which gives Facebook six months to comply, effectively postpones any possible Trump reinstatement and puts the onus for that decision squarely back on the company.
That could leave Facebook in the worst of all possible worlds 鈥� one in which Trump's supporters remain enraged over the bans, his critics pushing for broader social-media regulation and the company stuck with a momentous issue it clearly hoped the oversight board would resolve.
The decision only 鈥渒icks the can down the road,鈥� said Jonathan Greenblatt, the head of the Anti-Defamation League, who said it highlighted the need for greater government oversight of social platforms.
The board ruled that Facebook was correct to suspend Trump鈥檚 account four months ago for inciting violence that led to the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot. But it said the company erred by applying a vague penalty and then passing the question of whether to ban Trump permanently to the board.
鈥淚ndefinite penalties of this sort do not pass the international smell test,鈥� oversight board co-chairman Michael McConnell said in a conference call with reporters. 鈥淲e are not cops, reigning over the realm of social media.鈥�
In a statement, Trump did not address the decision directly, but said that actions by Facebook, Twitter, and Google are 鈥渁 total disgrace and an embarrassment to our Country.鈥� He added: "These corrupt social media companies must pay a political price.鈥�
The board agreed with Facebook that that two of Trump鈥檚 Jan. 6 posts 鈥渟everely violated鈥� the content standards of both Facebook and Instagram. 鈥淲e love you. You鈥檙e very special,鈥� he said to the rioters in the first post. In the second, he called them 鈥済reat patriots鈥� and told them to 鈥渞emember this day forever.鈥�
Those violated Facebook鈥檚 rules against praising or supporting people engaged in violence, the board said, warranting the suspension. But it insisted that the company needed to take responsibility for its decision.
鈥淔acebook should either permanently disable Trump鈥檚 account or impose a suspension for a specific period of time,鈥� said board co-chair Helle Thorning-Schmidt, a former Danish prime minister.
The board said that if Facebook decides to restore Trump鈥檚 accounts, it must be able to promptly address further violations. Among other recommendations, it advised against drawing a firm distinction between political leaders and other influential users because anyone with a big audience can potentially cause serious risks of harm.
Facebook has long straddled that issue, granting political figures greater leeway than it allows ordinary users because, it said, even their rule-breaking statements were important for citizens to hear.
Facebook created the oversight panel to rule on thorny content on its platforms following widespread criticism of its problems responding swiftly and effectively to misinformation, hate speech and nefarious influence campaigns. The board's earlier decisions 鈥� nine of them before Wednesday 鈥� have tended to
The board, which has 20 members and will eventually grow to 40, did not reveal how it voted on Trump鈥檚 suspension. It said a minority of members emphasized that Facebook should require users who seek reinstatement after being suspended to 鈥渞ecognize their wrongdoing and commit to observing the rules in the future.鈥�
The decision has implications not only for Trump but for tech companies, world leaders and people across the political spectrum 鈥� many of whom have wildly conflicting views of the proper role for technology companies when it comes to regulating online speech and protecting people from abuse and misinformation.
After years of handling Trump鈥檚 inflammatory rhetoric with a light touch, Facebook and Instagram took the drastic step of silencing his accounts in January. In announcing the unprecedented move, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the risk of allowing Trump to continue using the platform was too great.
鈥淭he shocking events of the last 24 hours clearly demonstrate that President Donald Trump intends to use his remaining time in office to undermine the peaceful and lawful transition of power to his elected successor, Joe Biden,鈥� Zuckerberg wrote on his Facebook page on Jan. 7.
A day before the oversight board鈥檚 decision was announced, Trump unveiled a new blog on his personal
Barred from social media, Trump has embraced other platforms for getting his message out. He does frequent interviews with friendly news outlets and has emailed a flurry of statements to reporters through his official office and political group.
Trump has even said he prefers the statements to his old tweets, often describing them as more 鈥渆legant.鈥�
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This story has been corrected to note that the board has not upheld a permanent ban of Trump.
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Associated Press Writers Jill Colvin in Washington and David Klepper in Providence, Rhode Island, contributed to this story.
Matt O'Brien And Barbara Ortutay, The Associated Press
