Meta Removes Trump Account Restrictions Ahead of 2024 Election

Meta on Friday said it would soon roll back restrictions it placed on former President Donald Trump’s Instagram and Facebook accounts.

Why it matters: The company said it was making the change to ensure parity among presidential candidates leading up to the 2024 election.

State of play: Since being reinstated in January, 2023, Trump’s accounts have been subject to stricter penalties than other Meta users, including account suspensions and advertising restrictions, if he violated the company’s rules.

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What they’re saying: “In assessing our responsibility to allow political expression, we believe that the American people should be able to hear from the nominees for president on the same basis,” Meta president of global affairs Nick Clegg said in a statement.

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Catch up quick: Meta and many other social media platforms barred Trump soon after the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol for breaking their rules and over fears of further incitements to violence.

• Those bans inspired Trump to start his own social network, Truth Social, which he has used as his primary vehicle for public comments throughout his 2024 campaign.

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The big picture: Meta’s move is part of a broader effort by Big Tech companies to revisit policies put in place during extraordinary circumstances that they may feel no longer apply.

• Meta and X have both rolled back misinformation policies related to COVID-19. YouTube reversed its election integrity policy to allow posting of content that argues fraud, errors or glitches occurred in the 2020 presidential election.

What’s next: In the future, Meta says that if it places other accounts under the restrictions it applied to Trump, it will periodically review them to see whether they should be removed.

• Meta will make those determinations by weighing its responsibility, as outlined by an independent Oversight Board that it funds to help guide its policies, Clegg said.