Meta must commit sufficient resources to ensure effective and impartial moderation in line with international human rights standards. Trump must be held to the same standards as everyone else.

Responding to Meta’s decision to lift the bans on Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts following a two-year suspension, Michael Kleinman, Senior Director of Technology and Human Rights at Amnesty International USA, said: 

“Under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, all companies have a responsibility to respect human rights. This means that social media companies, including Meta, cannot allow advocacy of hatred and incitement of discriminatory violence to flourish on their platforms. Such speech not only increases the risk of violence, but also silences critical voices, especially those from traditionally marginalized communities. Yet Facebook and Instagram’s business model incentivizes the company to boost harmful and inflammatory content that fuels violence and human rights violations. 

Meta has repeatedly failed in its responsibility to address this problem not just in the United States, but also globally, as we’ve seen in countries like Ethiopia and Myanmar, where hate speech has spread unabated, fueling conflict and human rights violations.

Michael Kleinman, Senior Director of Technology and Human Rights at Amnesty International USA

“During the Capitol riots, Donald Trump used his social media platforms to escalate violence. Meta must commit sufficient resources to ensure effective and impartial moderation in line with international human rights standards. Trump must be held to the same standards as everyone else. 

“Meta has repeatedly failed in its responsibility to address this problem not just in the United States, but also globally, as we’ve seen in countries like Ethiopia and Myanmar, where hate speech has spread unabated, fueling conflict and human rights violations.” 

Background: 

Trump was banned from Meta’s Facebook and Instagram platforms after the US Capitol riots on 6 January 2021. The ban was imposed “indefinitely” after Trump violated Meta’s policy by using its platforms “to incite violent insurrection against a democratically elected government.”  

In June 2021, Meta announced that Trump’s ban would be reassessed in January 2023, two years after the initial decision.