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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
World
Sophie Collins

Meta announce end to Donald Trump's suspension as he returns to Facebook and Instagram

Former US President, Donald Trump, is making his controversial return to the world of social media, according to Meta.

Releasing a statement on their blog on Wednesday night, Meta Platforms confirmed that it would be ending the 76-year-old’s suspension in a matter of weeks.

Trump was banished from Facebook and Instagram after the January 6 Capitol Hill riots - which occurred more than two years ago.

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This will mark the ex-president’s total return to the online world after he was granted Twitter access in November last year.

In a statement, Facebook’s President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg said Mr. Trump’s suspension was an “extraordinary decision taken in extraordinary circumstances”.

Although Trump will be able to post online once again, Mr. Clegg said there will be ‘guardrails’ in place to deter any repeat offences.

Should Trump opt to re-offend, he can be suspended again while there would be a restriction of sharing his posts.

“In the event that Mr. Trump posts further violating content, the content will be removed and he will be suspended for between one month and two years, depending on the severity of the violation,” he wrote.

“Our updated protocol also addresses content that does not violate our Community Standards but that contributes to the sort of risk that materialized on January 6, such as content that delegitimizes an upcoming election or is related to QAnon.

“We may limit the distribution of such posts, and for repeated instances, may temporarily restrict access to our advertising tools.

“This step would mean that content would remain visible on Mr Trump’s account but would not be distributed in people’s feeds, even if they follow Mr Trump.

“We may also remove the reshare button from such posts and may stop them being recommended or run as ads.”

He went on to say that the social media giant would also restrict the distribution of his posts, should they violate the company’s Community Standards.

In recent months, Mr. Trump announced his plans to run for the White House in 2024, and so regaining access to Facebook and Instagram will be vital in his upcoming campaign.

Meanwhile, Mr. Clegg said the company is aware that any decision it makes will be “fiercely criticised” but that a decision “had to be made” one way or the other.

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