Facebook's oversight board delays decision on Trump suspension
The board says it'll announce its decision in the coming weeks.
- Carrie has lived on both coasts and can definitively say that Chesapeake Bay blue crabs are the best.
In January, Facebook indefinitely blocked former President Donald Trump.
Facebook's content oversight board said that in the "coming weeks," it'll deliver a decision on former President Donald Trump's indefinite suspension from the social network. In a tweet Friday, the group said it's "extended the case timeline" in order to carefully review the more than 9,000 public comments it received on the case.
(1/2): The Board will announce its decision on the case concerning former US President Trump's indefinite suspension from Facebook and Instagram in the coming weeks. We extended the public comments deadline for this case, receiving 9,000+ responses.
— Oversight Board (@OversightBoard) April 16, 2021
In January, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg made the decision to indefinitely ban Trump from the social network, following the Jan. 6 insurrection on Capitol Hill. Facebook then sent that decision to the oversight board on Jan. 21. The 20 member board has up to 90 days to reach a decision on most cases, which in this instance would've meant a ruling next week.
The board said Friday that it's delaying its decision after earlier extending the deadline for public comments, which closed on Feb. 12. The board asked the public for its views on several issues surrounding the suspension, including whether the decision upholds Facebook's "responsibilities to respect freedom of expression" and how the company should weigh potentially dangerous activity off its platform when making decisions.