If Donald Trump pompously announced his candidacy for the American presidential election of 2024 on Tuesday, Facebook has not reopened its doors to him.
The social media platform reiterated on Wednesday that it has no plans to rehabilitate the former president’s account following his declaration that he will seek a second term in the White House. Trump had been expelled from Facebook in response to the storming of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
“I think it’s a good decision, because there are right-wing social networks. If you bring someone like Donald Trump back to Facebook, what will be the difference between Facebook and Parler, TruthSocial? asks Jean-Hugues Roy, professor at the School of Media at the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM).
Since his banishment, Trump has indeed launched his own platform, TruthSocial, and maintained that he has no intention of returning to Twitter even if he is allowed to do so. Jean-Hugues Roy notes that the platform coveted by Donald Trump, he already has it on TruthSocial.
“Mr. Trump doesn’t need Facebook, Facebook doesn’t need Mr. Trump either,” said the professor. No matter what social network he’s going to be on, we’re going to find him. »
A move against misinformation
Despite everything, the Republican may not have to wait long if he wants to return to the site: his suspension from the Meta social network should be reviewed next January, two years after his first imposition.
If the business mogul were to return to Facebook as a candidate, he would no longer be subject to fact checks. Indeed, according to Facebook’s rules, comments from elected officials and electoral candidates do not come under the control of the factual review according to theAssociated Presswhich participates in Facebook’s independent fact-checking program.
“If there are statements that deserve to be verified, they are those of elected officials, especially in the United States, believes Jean-Hugues Roy. Any speech can lend itself to factual verification. »
The professor notes in particular the degree of extreme polarization among our American neighbors, which pollutes the reliability of information found on social media.
During his tenure, the former president used social networks to his advantage, among other things to question the veracity of the facts conveyed by the news media. Trump thus posed a daunting challenge to major platforms, which juggled the public’s need to hear from his elected leaders with concern about misinformation, harassment and hate mongering.
If he does not call himself a “friend of Facebook”, Jean-Hugues Roy recognizes that Meta has taken steps to limit misinformation on its platforms. Banning Donald Trump was one. “They don’t do the complete cleaning, there is still dust lying around in the corners, but they still make an effort on that side”, he nuances.
Prohibition soon to expire
Following the Jan. 6 riots, Trump was also banned from Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram, which are owned by Meta, Facebook’s parent company. His ability to post videos to his YouTube channel has also been suspended.
YouTube spokeswoman Ivy Choi agreed with Meta on Wednesday in maintaining that the company has no plans to lift said suspension.
Twitter’s new owner Elon Musk, for his part, made known his position on the platform’s decision to ban Trump after the Jan. 6 attack, saying he disagreed. Musk nevertheless signaled that no announcement regarding the reinstatement of banned users would be made until a content moderation board looks into the matter. Twitter did not comment on the impact of Trump’s candidacy on the decision.
Facebook initially blocked all activity on Trump’s account for 24 hours on Jan. 6 after he praised rioters who stormed the Capitol. Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced his indefinite retirement on Jan. 7, saying “the risks of allowing the president to continue using our service during this time are just too great.”
The company’s quasi-independent oversight board upheld the ban, but ordered Facebook to set a deadline. This ban will expire on January 7, 2023.
With l’Associated Press