Meta will decide in the coming weeks whether Trump can go back on Facebook

Social media company Meta will decide in the coming weeks whether former American president Donald Trump will be allowed to use Facebook again. He has not been found on the platform for two years. It is the first time that Meta will make such a decision.

Trump on Facebook

Meta had initially closed Trump’s account without an end date, but on the advice of its own Oversight Board, the term has been shortened to two years. That term ended this weekend and Meta says to The Washington Post that it will make a decision in the coming weeks. Twitter decided after a poll by the new owner Elon Musk that Trump could use Twitter again. He has not reactivated his account and is using his platform Truth Social.

The decision is sensitive, because Trump is a candidate for the 2024 presidential election. As a result, Meta would deny a presidential candidate access to his platform in the event of a continued blockade. Meta shut down Trump’s account following his call for an uprising to block the Democratic transfer of power on January 6, 2021. In addition, on Truth Social, he is still using his account to attack people who counted votes in the 2020 election, for example . Such posts would possibly constitute breaking the rules on Facebook.

Meta’s decision may have consequences for policy regarding politicians in other countries and future politicians. In addition, other tech companies can also look at Meta. YouTube also closed Trump’s account a few years ago.