Former US President, Donald Trump has appealed to Facebook to reverse the ban on his Facebook and Instagram accounts.
The big three social media platforms, including Twitter have locked Trump’s accounts for violation of their policies during riots at the U.S. Capitol.
The Facebook Oversight Board, which will decide whether Donald Trump’s indefinite suspension should be lifted have confirmed receiving an appeal on behalf of the former president.
“We can confirm that a user statement has been received in the case before the Oversight Board concerning President Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts,” a spokesperson for the Oversight Board said in a statement.
The Oversight Board has also received about 9,000 comments from the public on the question of whether to allow Trump access to his Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Saying the suspension has driven “intense global interest,” the Oversight Board accepted the case and pledged to conduct “a thorough and independent assessment of the company’s decision.”
Facebook announced in January that it asked the Oversight Board to review its decision to suspend Trump on Jan. 7, the day after a group of the president’s supporters stormed the Capitol.
The Oversight Board has 90 days to make a decision, but a ruling is expected more quickly. Its decision is binding and cannot be overruled by CEO Mark Zuckerberg or any other Facebook executive.
“Our decision to suspend then-President Trump’s access was taken in extraordinary circumstances: a U.S. president actively fomenting a violent insurrection designed to thwart the peaceful transition of power; five people killed; legislators fleeing the seat of democracy,” Nick Clegg, Facebook’s vice president of global affairs, wrote last month.
“This has never happened before – and we hope it will never happen again. It was an unprecedented set of events which called for unprecedented action.”
Meanwhile, YouTube and other social media companies also indefinitely suspended Trump’s accounts. Snapchat and Twitter permanently banned Trump.
