This article was published on May 3, 2021

Facebook Oversight Board to announce if it’ll reverse Trump ban on May 5

Whatever happens, someone will be unhappy


Facebook Oversight Board to announce if it’ll reverse Trump ban on May 5 Image by: Gage Skidmore

Facebook’s Oversight Board — something akin to a supreme court for the company — will decide whether to reverse the controversial Trump ban on Wednesday at 9:00 AM ET.

The Trump ban went into effect on January 7, a day after the Capitol riot. Zuckerberg said Trump was banned “indefinitely” from Facebook and Instagram, but the matter was then submitted to the company’s Oversight Board on January 21.

The Oversight Board was originally slated to make a decision within 90 days, but the ruling was delayed after receiving over 9,000 comments on the case, which it needed time to review.

The first members of Facebook’s Oversight Board were announced in May of 2020; the board was designed as an independent authority that had the power to overturn Facebook’s moderation decisions.  Notably, the 20-person group has overturned Facebook in 7 out of 9 rulings so far.

Whatever happens on Wednesday, you can be sure some people will be unhappy.

You can review the Oversight Board’s rulings at oversightboard.com.

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