On February 23, 2021, a spokeswoman of Facebook Inc.’s oversight board confirmed that they received a user statement regarding whether the board’s decision to indefinitely suspend former President of the United States Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts was right.
Facebook handed over Trump’s case to the independent board earlier this year after blocking his accounts over concerns of further violent unrest after the protests at the US Capitol by Trump’s supporters. After Facebook banned Trump, the board’s process allowed administrators of Trump’s page to challenge Facebook’s decision by submitting a statement. The spokeswoman said the oversight board would make no further comment until it issues a decision.
The UK’s Channel 4 News was the first to report the appeal submitted after Facebook banned Trump. Earlier in February, the board said it would allow a 7-day extension to the public comment period due to “high levels of interest.” The oversight board spokeswoman said the board received over 9,000 comments on the Trump case, and that it was the most they ever received for any case.
Several civil rights activists and academicians have shared their letters publicly, urging that social media giant Facebook blocks Trump from its platforms permanently. Republican lawmakers have opposed the ban and demanded the reactivation of Trump’s accounts.
