This morning, Facebook’s independent Oversight Board upheld the decision to ban Donald Trump from Facebook and Instagram:
BREAKING: Oversight Board upholds Trump's Facebook ban https://t.co/0bSAFEpKo6
— Axios (@axios) May 5, 2021
The board ruled that in six months, Facebook "must reexamine the arbitrary penalty it imposed on January 7 and decide the appropriate penalty." https://t.co/0bSAFEpKo6
— Axios (@axios) May 5, 2021
The board found Trump's posts had "severely violated" Facebook rules but questioned the "indeterminate and standardless penalty of indefinite suspension". https://t.co/0bSAFEpKo6
— Axios (@axios) May 5, 2021
NEW: Facebook VP Nick Clegg in response to the ruling and the board's recommendation for a revised policy within 6 months: "In the meantime, Mr. Trump’s accounts remain suspended." https://t.co/0bSAFEpKo6
— Axios (@axios) May 5, 2021
There are reasonable concerns to be raised, of course.
Facebook's Oversight Board says they were right to suspend Trump because he violated their rule "prohibiting praise or support of people engaged in violence." Last year, nearly the entire media and Democratic Party praised people engaged in the most costly riots in US history.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) May 5, 2021
Weird. Facebook shut down Trump but hasn't done anything about people using Instagram like a slave market
"Instagram fuels rise in black-market sales of maids into Persian Gulf servitude"https://t.co/blNHxgzZvA
— Greg Pollowitz (@GPollowitz) May 5, 2021
Recommended
But Asha Rangappa doesn’t do reasonable.
She’s predictably relieved by the Oversight Board’s decision, of course, but she’s still very, very uneasy about what it means for our democracy:
Am I the only one creeped out and depressed that the entire fate of our democracy rests in the hands of the Supreme Court of Facebook?
— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) May 5, 2021
Is Asha Rangappa the only insane and unhinged liberal in America? No. Just check out some of the replies to her tweet:
You are not.
— Sarah Archer (@Sarcher) May 5, 2021
You are not alone.
— Dodes (@racheld) May 5, 2021
Agreed https://t.co/4l86Vr1nap
— markggarcia (@markggarcia) May 5, 2021
Seems like – in a better world – our elected leaders might be bothered to address this.
— Dirk Schwenk (Esq) 🎵 (@DirkSchwenk) May 5, 2021
https://t.co/VGtvxvbssB pic.twitter.com/N0ht3MV2kO
— ℚ ^ Dawg dʒ (@YoDiggityDawg4) May 5, 2021
But not every insane and unhinged liberal in America is also a CNN analyst, so this is an especially embarrassing look for Asha Rangappa (and CNN, of course).
*the entire fate of our democracy* 🙄 https://t.co/JUbwbNhRwq
— JT (@Hsquaredx) May 5, 2021
https://twitter.com/JerryDunleavy/status/1389941175394705412
I am a little creeped out that a former FBI agent thinks that Trumps ability to post on a website = the fate of democracy. #utpol https://t.co/sSnl47kkdY
— IntoTheVoid (@ITVPod) May 5, 2021
“the entire fate of our democracy “
.
This is a lawyer who once carried a gun for the federal government. https://t.co/Z2KOuVgRNq— Marty (@woodyfarley) May 5, 2021
When your brain has fleas. https://t.co/9alw8Jh1lG
— Luke Thompson (@ltthompso) May 5, 2021
https://t.co/PwMEbg2X6v pic.twitter.com/7CaaJETfEL
— Ms. Laura (@LtotheL2) May 5, 2021
Swing and a miss, Asha. As usual.