Social media Meta lifts restrictions for Trump on Facebook and Instagram

The internet company Meta is lifting restrictions on former US President Donald Trump's accounts on the online networks Instagram and Facebook. Trump will no longer be subject to the stricter suspension penalties, the company announced on Friday (local time).

The move is justified with the "responsibility to enable political expression". People in the USA should be able to be informed by the presidential candidates on the same basis.

Trump's user accounts on Facebook and Instagram were blocked after radical supporters of the then president stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. The reason given was the risk of further violence. The accounts were reactivated at the beginning of last year, but under stricter rules.

Trump's accounts on other networks were also blocked in the meantime. Trump now mainly uses his own online platform, Truth Social. Trump is followed by 34 million users on Facebook, where posts that were first published on Truth Social are also shared.