In a blog post on Thursday (January 7), Facebook announced that it was suspending the account of President Donald Trump for the next two weeks and could ban him "indefinitely" from the platform. The ban means that President Trump will not be able to use his Facebook or Instagram account until after President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated.
"We believe the risks of allowing President Trump to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great, so we are extending the block we have placed on his Facebook and Instagram accounts indefinitely and for at least the next two weeks," Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote.
On Wednesday, both Facebook and Twitter suspended President Trump's accounts after he posted a pre-taped video outside the White House while his supporters were storming the U.S. Capitol Building. He asked his supports to remain peaceful and return home but continued to make false claims that the election was stolen and that he defeated Biden.
Zuckerberg said that video was one of the reasons why the social media company decided to take drastic actions and suspend his account.
"His decision to use his platform to condone rather than condemn the actions of his supporters at the Capitol building has rightly disturbed people in the US and around the world. We removed these statements yesterday because we judged that their effect -- and likely their intent -- would be to provoke further violence," Zuckerberg wrote.
Twitter reinstated Trump's account after he removed the video and another tweet that was flagged by the social media company. Twitter warned that future violations could result in a permanent suspension of his account.
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