Experts talk Facebook Oversight Board, Trump suspension in Stanford Cyber Policy Center panel
Stanford Cyber Policy Center leaders discuss the suspension of Trump’s account with Facebook Oversight Board members (Screenshot: MICHAEL ALISKY/The Stanford Daily)
on May 6, 2021
After the Facebook Oversight Board decided to uphold the platform’s suspension of former president Donald Trump’s account, board members and experts scrutinized the process at a Thursday panel discussion hosted by Stanford’s Cyber Policy Center. Some panelists defended the Oversight Board’s creation, while others questioned Facebook’s ability to uphold international human rights standards.
Two members of the board, Michael McConnell, director of the Stanford Constitutional Law Center, and Julie Owono, an international human rights lawyer, joined the conversation to share insights on the deliberation process and the role of the Board in the company.
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Facebook s independent oversight board has upheld a ban on former US president Donald Trump while ordering further review of the case, in a decision with a potentially far-reaching impact on the regulation of online speech.
Mr Trump, whose political influence has arguably been severely curtailed by the loss of his social media presence, responded with a statement slamming bans by the leading social network and other online giants as a total disgrace.
The oversight board, whose decisions are binding on Facebook, said Mr Trump had created an environment where a serious risk of violence was possible with his comments regarding the 6 January rampage by his supporters at the US Capitol.
Facebook Oversight Board punts on Donald Trump ban
For several months, anyone who follows politics or social technology has been waiting with bated breath for a decision on whether Donald Trump would remain banned from Facebook. Trump’s account was blocked after the attack on the United States Capitol on January 6th; Facebook ruled that he had used the site to foment violence. The decision was sent for review to the company’s Oversight Board, a group of academics, legal scholars, and former journalists charged with adjudicating on content moderation. On Wednesday, the board handed down its ruling: Facebook was right to have banished Trump, but the company has no policy on the books that allows for a permanent ban. The board told Facebook that, if the company wants to lock people out Trump, or anyone else it needs to come up with a formal rule.