Hold Your Breath: Facebook's Regulators Stall Judgment

Hold Your Breath: Facebook’s Regulators Stall Judgment

Facebook’s Oversight Board is still mulling over the fate of Donald Trump’s accounts on Facebook and Instagram. Although a ruling was expected in a matter of days, the Oversight Board now says that it will reach a final decision “in the coming weeks.”

The Oversight Board Weighs the Status of Trump’s Accounts

After the Capitol riots in January,Facebook banned Trump from Facebook and Instagram indefinitely . But making the decision to permanently ban Trump is much too significant for Facebook to decide on its own, so Facebook determined that it needed another set of eyes to examine the situation.

This is where the Oversight Board comes in, a group of experts independent of Facebook. The Board is charged with handling appeals of any controversial decisions made by Facebook, and one of those appeals just so happens to be the removal of Trump’s account.

The Oversight Board took on the case of Trump’s accounts in late January , and only had 90 days to come to a decision. That deadline will soon be up, and the Oversight Board still hasn’t ruled on the situation.

In a post on Twitter, the Oversight Board stated that it will make its decision on Trump’s indefinite suspension “in the coming weeks.” The Board also noted that it has issued an extension on the public comments deadline, as it needs to take the time to comb through the 9,000 responses it received.

“The Board’s commitment to carefully reviewing all comments has extended the case timeline, in line with the Board’s bylaws. We will share more information soon,” the Board wrote in a Tweet.

The Oversight Board was only introduced in December 2020, but it has already ruled on a number of cases. The permanent suspension of Trump’s accounts is arguably the biggest decision the Oversight Board has had to make so far, so it only makes sense that it’s delaying the final ruling.

Will the Oversight Board Choose to Ban Trump?

Once the Oversight Board reaches a resolution, Facebook—and even Mark Zuckerberg himself—won’t be able to overrule the Board’s decision. The Board’s decision will be binding, which means that Facebook will be forced to accept the change.

Whether the Board chooses to ban Trump’s accounts or not, the decision will likely spark criticism and outrage. Many call for the ban of Trump’s accounts due to the incitement of violence, while others believe that the ban would infringe on freedom of speech.

It’s not a decision to make lightly, and the Oversight Board, as well as Facebook, must be prepared for backlash.