POLICY CHANGES
Social media companies have grappled in recent years with how to handle world leaders and politicians who violate their guidelines.
On Friday, the Nigerian government said it had indefinitely suspended Twitter’s activities in the country, two days after the company removed a post from President Muhammadu Buhari that threatened to punish regional secessionists.
In a major reversal that also came as part of Facebook's Friday responses to its oversight board, Facebook said it was "removing the presumption we announced in 2019 that speech from politicians is inherently of public interest."
The company said it now would weigh violative content from politicians against the potential risk of harm in the same way it does for all users. It will also disclose when it does use its "newsworthiness" exemption.
However, a Facebook spokesman confirmed politicians' posts will remain exempt from third-party fact-checking.
Facebook has come under fire from those who think it should abandon its hands-off approach to political speech, but has also been criticized by those, including Republican lawmakers and some free-expression advocates, who saw the Trump ban as a disturbing act of censorship.
Its decision on Trump and new policy changes could have major ramifications for how Facebook handles rule-breaking world leaders and officials on its services. It said that public figures who violate its rules by inciting or celebrating ongoing violence or civil unrest could be restricted for periods ranging from one month to two years.
Social media companies have faced calls from some rights groups and activists to be more consistent in their approach to other leaders who have violated or pushed their rules. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Leader Ali Khamenei, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and lawmakers in India's ruling party have drawn scrutiny.
Facebook also gave some transparency into its standard system on how many "strikes" users can receive before suspensions, which normally last up to 30 days.
The Trump case has been seen as a test for how the company responded to the ruling and recommendations of its recently-established oversight board.
The board also recommended Facebook review its role in the election fraud conspiracy that led to the Jan. 6 siege, which Facebook said it would partially implement through its partnership with academics studying the role it played in the 2020 U.S. elections. Facebook said it was implementing 15 of the 19 board recommendations.
REUTERS