Well there it is, Facebook has finally banned President Donald Trump from posting on the platform, approximately four years after they probably should have.
Trump has been “indefinitely” banned from the platform after his efforts to incite violence at the US Capitol earlier this week.
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg made the announcement on Friday, extending the 24-hour ban that was already in place because of the ongoing threat posed by Trump.
According to Zuckerberg, Trump was banned due to his “use of our platform to incite violent insurrection against a democratically elected government.”
Zuckerberg took to his own Facebook page to announce the extension of the ban, which will remain in place at least until the inauguration.
“We believe the risks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great,” Mr Zuckerberg wrote on his Facebook page.
“Therefore, we are extending the block we have placed on his Facebook and Instagram accounts indefinitely and for at least the next two weeks until the peaceful transition of power is complete.”
The news comes after Trump has effectively been silenced online, with Twitter and Snapchat also announcing blocks on his account to prevent the spread of misinformation and the incitement of violence.
Similarly, YouTube removed a video of Trump addressing the mob, in which he further asserted claims of election fraud and even told the protesters “I love you” and that they are “very special.” The clip was removed from the platform in line with its policy of banning claims of election fraud and/or challenging election results.
On Thursday, Twitter issued a 12 hour block on his account, which would be extended if he chose not to remove the posts in question. It’s unclear if the ban has been lifted but the President is yet to post on the platform today.
Ahh, it’s 2021 and we’re really out here banning the President from social media because he can’t behave like a functioning member of society.
