Meta cautiously ended the suspension of Donald Trump and is now further loosening supervision

Meta has updated its policies on a directive enacted early last year that allowed former President Donald Trump to resume activity on both Instagram and Facebook. The company now says it will further loosen its “guardrails” designed to carefully monitor Trump’s use of the platforms. Meta says the candidate leading the Republican Party to a second term in the White House in 2024 “should be able to” be heard by the American public “on the same basis” as all other potential presidential candidates are heard.

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The update to Meta’s minutes was posted on the party’s website on Friday, ahead of the upcoming party conferences at which nominations will be officially announced.

“Former President Trump is no longer subject to enhanced suspension penalties as the nominee of the Republican Party,” Meta said in the statement.

Meta said previous penalties, including suspending Donald Trump from platforms, were “a response to extreme and extraordinary circumstances.” When the former president was allowed back on Facebook and Instagram, Meta said it would do so cautiously and with “new guardrails” to “prevent repeat violations.” In January 2023, when the decision was announced, Meta said: “The public should be able to hear what politicians are saying so they can make informed decisions.”

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Meta said in Friday’s update: “All U.S. presidential candidates will continue to be subject to the same community standards as all Facebook and Instagram users, including policies to prevent hate speech and incitement to violence.”

In 2021, Donald Trump appealed to the company’s board of directors to have the social media giant overturn his suspension.

It was not until January 2023 that Meta announced in a statement by President for Global Affairs Nick Clegg that it had decided to allow Trump back onto its platforms more than two years after his ban.