Angelo Carusone: Facebook is playing a game and without urgent action it will have Trump back on the platform

Written by Media Matters Staff

Published

Earlier today, it was reported that Facebook's independent Oversight Board had accepted a referral from the platform to review its decision to indefinitely suspend former President Donald Trump. 

In response to the announcement, Angelo Carusone, president of Media Matters for America, issued this statement:

Facebook should have permanently banned Donald Trump from its platform a long time ago. The half-measure to suspend him through Inauguration Day was already too little, too late.

Just yesterday, Facebook bragged about the thousands of QAnon pages and accounts that -- after helping them metastasize on the platform -- the company had finally removed. Facebook didn’t need the Oversight Board to take action on those accounts. Trump has used Facebook in much the same way as other dangerous conspiracy theorists.

Facebook’s refusal to draw a line and take decisive action, even though the case against Trump is clear, is dangerous. Facebook dragging this out could very well lead to more political violence in the future.