On Friday, Meta announced that it will soon remove the restrictions on former President Donald Trump’s Instagram and Facebook accounts. This decision is intended to ensure that all presidential candidates receive equal treatment leading up to the 2024 US Presidential Election. The company stressed that the decision is about fairness. Since reinstating Trump’s accounts in January 2023, they have been under stricter penalties compared to other users on Meta’s platforms. These penalties included potential suspensions and advertising restrictions if he violated Meta’s rules.
However, Trump’s accounts were the only ones subjected to these enhanced measures, which were originally meant to restrict any public figure’s accounts during times of civil unrest. During the restriction period, neither Trump’s Instagram nor Facebook accounts violated Meta’s policies, meaning his accounts did not trigger the stricter penalties.
Despite removing stricter penalties, Meta still has the ability to restrict the dissemination of problematic posts by Trump or any other accounts, even if those posts do not explicitly violate Meta’s rules. This also applies to content with indirect references to groups like QAnon. Trump’s accounts, along with those of other public figures, will still be subject to the same general content rules as all other users on Meta’s platforms.
Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs, stated,
“We believe that the American people should be able to hear from the nominees for president on the same basis.”
Meta’s decision is part of a larger trend among big tech companies to reconsider and amend policies that were implemented during exceptional circumstances. Both Meta and X have rescinded certain misinformation policies related to COVID-19. Additionally, YouTube has overturned its election integrity policy to permit content alleging fraud or errors in the 2020 presidential election.