Saying it has a responsibility to “allow political expression” from the top candidates, Meta announced it repealed limits it had placed on the presumptive GOP presidential nominee and social media threat Donald Trump. In a statement posted online by Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs, the company explained that it was removing “heightened suspension penalties” for violating the community standards on Facebook and Instagram.
“With the party conventions taking place shortly, including the Republican convention next week, the candidates for President of the United States will soon be formally nominated. In assessing our responsibility to allow political expression, we believe that the American people should be able to hear from the nominees for President on the same basis,” Clegg posted. “As a result, former President Trump, as the nominee of the Republican Party, will no longer be subject to the heightened suspension penalties. In reaching this conclusion, we also considered that these penalties were a response to extreme and extraordinary circumstances, and have not had to be deployed. All US Presidential candidates remain subject to the same Community Standards as all Facebook and Instagram users, including those policies designed to prevent hate speech and incitement to violence.”