© Provided by Washington Examiner A top Facebook official dismissed criticism that the social media giant violated former President Donald Trump's First Amendment rights by keeping him off the platform.
Michael McConnell, co-chairman of Facebook's Oversight Board, discussed the company's recent decision to uphold its ban on Trump for six months while the company clarifies its policy. The former president was kicked off the platform after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
"Private companies are not bound by the First Amendment," McConnell said Sunday on Fox News. "And so, he has no First Amendment rights. He's a customer. Facebook is not a government, and he is not a citizen of Facebook."
TWITTER SUSPENDS ACCOUNT THAT WAS POSTING TRUMP STATEMENTS
Trump's accounts on Facebook and Instagram were suspended indefinitely after the attack at the Capitol, which several social media giants tied to his assertions about the illegitimacy of the 2020 election. While Wednesday's decision by the independent board kept Trump's decision in tact for the time being, the former president may be allowed to reactivate his profile in six months, when Facebook will once again need to justify "a proportionate response that is consistent with the rules that are applied to other users of its platform."
The platform said Trump violated its content moderation standards after the former president told the rioters they were "very special" and that he would subsequently "remember this day forever" in a video posted to the platform. Facebook argued those comments had praised those engaging in violence.
Facebook also claimed Trump's "unfounded" claims of voter fraud related to the election had "created an environment where a serious risk of violence was possible."
Prior to his removal, Trump had 35 million followers on Facebook and 24 million on Instagram, which is owned by Facebook.
Following the riot, the former president was also removed by YouTube and Twitter, a platform Trump frequented to share his thoughts about political opponents and announce policy decisions.
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Since his ousting from major social media platforms, Trump has been using emails and media interviews to communicate with the public. The former president created a one-way communicative platform, "From the Desk of Donald J. Trump," to share his thoughts with supporters, and speculation continues to suggest that he will create an engaging social media platform that will allow users to interact in a manner more akin to Twitter or Facebook.
Tags: News, Facebook, Donald Trump, Censorship, First Amendment, Free Speech
Original Author: Mica Soellner
Original Location: Top Facebook official says social media companies are 'not bound by the First Amendment'