Facebook has stated that it is sending its recent decision to permanently blacklist Donald Trump to its “independent oversight board” for review. The oversight board, popularly referred to as the platform’s “supreme court,” is packed with leftists such as the former editor-in-chief of the Guardian and a “human rights expert” who is part of George Soros’ Open Society Foundations.
In a recent blog post, tech giant Facebook stated that it would be sending its decision to blacklist Donald Trump to an independent oversight board. The oversight board is a semi-independent body that Facebook set up to review the company’s rulings.
We think our decision to suspend former President Trump was right, but we don’t think we should make these calls on our own. Given the significance, we referred this decision to the @OversightBoard. During review, Mr. Trump’s access will remain suspended. https://t.co/CnMa2PYoDq
— Facebook Newsroom (@fbnewsroom) January 21, 2021
In the blog post, Facebook states:
Today, Facebook is referring its decision to indefinitely suspend former US President Donald Trump’s access to his Facebook and Instagram accounts to the independent Oversight Board. The board was established last year to make the final call on some of the most difficult content decisions Facebook makes. It is an independent body and its decisions are binding — they can’t be overruled by CEO Mark Zuckerberg or anyone else at Facebook. The board itself is made up of experts and civic leaders from around the world with a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives.
We believe our decision was necessary and right. Given its significance, we think it is important for the board to review it and reach an independent judgment on whether it should be upheld. While we await the board’s decision, Mr. Trump’s access will remain suspended indefinitely. We look forward to receiving the board’s decision — and we hope, given the clear justification for our actions on January 7, that it will uphold the choices we made. In addition to the board’s determination on whether to uphold or overturn the indefinite suspension, Facebook welcomes any observations or recommendations from the board around suspensions when the user is a political leader.
Our decision to suspend then-President Trump’s access was taken in extraordinary circumstances: a US president actively fomenting a violent insurrection designed to thwart the peaceful transition of power; five people killed; legislators fleeing the seat of democracy. This has never happened before — and we hope it will never happen again. It was an unprecedented set of events which called for unprecedented action.
Facebook further stated that the oversight board is “an expert-led independent organization with the power to impose binding decisions on a private social media company.” The company further added that the board’s decision will be available on the board’s website when it is issued.
Breitbart News has previously reported on Facebook’s oversight board and noted that it includes members such as the former editor-in-chief of the Guardian and a “human rights expert” who is part of George Soros’ Open Society Foundations.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or contact via secure email at the address lucasnolan@protonmail.com
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