Restrictions on Trump's Facebook and Instagram lifted

Meta has decided to lift the final restrictions on Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts. The former US president, who had his accounts suspended in 2021, is now free to use these platforms without additional monitoring. This suspension was initially put in place after Trump praised his supporters who stormed the Capitol. Trump, who is also a convicted felon, uses Facebook and Instagram primarily to share memes and attack his political rival, Joe Biden. Meta stated that it has a responsibility to allow political expression and that Americans should be able to hear from all presidential candidates on an equal basis. They also emphasized that Trump, like all other users, must adhere to the Community Standards designed to prevent hate speech and incitement to violence. Since his return to Meta’s platforms, Trump has mostly posted campaign details and memes targeting Joe Biden. Before his 2021 ban, Trump’s Facebook posts were among the most popular in the US. In addition to Facebook and Instagram, Trump was also banned from Twitter and YouTube. These restrictions were lifted last year, but Trump now primarily communicates through his own platform, Truth Social, before reposting to other networks. Trump made his return to Twitter, now called X, after Elon Musk conducted a poll asking users if Trump’s account should be reinstated. The poll resulted in a 'yes' vote with 51. 8% of the participants in favor. The actions taken by big tech companies followed the Capitol Hill riots, which led to the deaths of five people and injuries to over 100 police officers. Trump was accused of inciting violence and repeatedly spreading disinformation.