It appears as though Facebook is trying to shift the decision making, and therefore the blame, as to whether former President Donald Trump should be allowed back on the platform.
Nick Clegg, Facebook’s Vice President of Global Affairs, defended the platform’s decision to pass the case along to Facebook’s Supreme Court, the Oversight Board (the Board), in a Twitter thread.
“Facebook is referring our decision to indefinitely suspend former President Trump’s Facebook & Instagram accounts to the independent @OversightBoard. Today’s announcement does not reinstate his access. We hope & expect the board will confirm our decision,” said Clegg in a tweet. He also provided a link to Facebook’s announcement that the case would be turned over to the Board. Given that the Board is primarily comprised of leftists, “confirm[ing]” Facebook’s decision will likely not be difficult.
“Many are uncomfortable with the idea that tech companies have the power to ban elected leaders. We agree. These decisions should be made according to frameworks agreed by democratically accountable lawmakers. But in the absence of such laws, there are decisions we cannot duck,” he continued.
We’re uncomfortable with the power that Big Tech companies have too, Nick.
And of course, Clegg cannot pass up the chance to talk up Facebook’s great achievement in censorship. “The @OversightBoard was established last year to make the final call on some of the most difficult content decisions Facebook makes. It is an independent body and its decisions are binding – they can’t be overruled by anyone at Facebook,” he said.
“The @OversightBoard is the first of its kind: an expert-led independent organization with the power to impose binding decisions on a private social media company. We welcome any wider observations/recommendations they have around suspensions when the user is a political leader,” Clegg concluded.
The fact that Clegg calls the Board “independent” is ironic, given that a report from June of 2019 stated that “we actually cannot confer on the board greater authority than Facebook itself has.” Facebook indefinitely suspended Trump following the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol Building.
Conservatives are under attack. Contact Facebook headquarters at 1-650-308-7300 and demand that Big Tech be held to account to provide clarity on “hate speech,” rules that seem to be applied inconsistently If you have been censored, contact us at the Media Research Center contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.
