Donald Trump won't be returning to Facebook or Instagram , and his ban will remain in place, for now.
See also: Donald Trump: Will he return to social media with his own platform?
However, the oversight committee argues that Facebook acted inappropriately in the way it enacted the ban and has ordered the company to conduct a review of how the ban was determined.
It said Facebook's policies did not allow for the kind of suspension imposed on Donald Trump. While people can be permanently banned, users should know if that's happening, the Oversight Board said, and Mr. Trump should know why and for how long he has been banned.
Therefore, Mr Trump could still be allowed back on the site after a review by Facebook itself, the Oversight Board suggested. Facebook must ensure that the former president's ban is "consistent with the rules that apply to other users of its platform".
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The company must decide whether to let him back on the site, impose a temporary ban on him for a certain period of time, or ban him forever. It must make this decision within the next six months, according to its rules, and make it public.
In response, Nick Clegg, Facebook's vice president of global affairs and communications, said Facebook would consider the committee's recommendations. However, he did not commit to any specific approach to banning Donald Trump.
The Supervisory Board also called on Facebook to “address widespread confusion about how decisions related to influential users are made.”
Mr. Trump was banned on Jan. 7 following the Capitol and a series of posts from his official Facebook account. After initially taking down individual posts, Facebook said it acted and decided to block Mr. Trump out of fear of violence that potential future posts could incite.
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The decision was made by the Facebook Oversight Board, a group established by the company to review its content decisions. While Facebook stresses that the board and its decisions are independent, they are paid and selected by Facebook itself.
