Facebook says it has referred its suspension of former President Donald Trump’s posting privileges to its Oversight Board, which will rule on whether the decision was justified or not.
“We think our decision to suspend former President Trump was right, but we don’t think we should make these calls on our own,” Facebook said in an announcement on Thursday.
“Given the significance, we referred this decision to the Oversight Board. During review, Mr. Trump’s access will remain suspended,” Facebook added.
Facebook also said the board’s decision will be “binding” and can’t be overruled by CEO Mark Zuckerberg or anyone else at Facebook.
Trump was banned from his Facebook and Instagram accounts indefinitely on Jan. 7. The former president has also been banned by other social media giants like Twitter and YouTube after the violent Capitol attack on Jan. 6.
Facebook’s Oversight Board says it will accept the Trump case. Spokesman John Taylor told CNN that the board will have 90 days to review all the facts but that “we expect to act more quickly than that.”
This will be the first consequential test of the Oversight Board’s power and independence.
