Twitter and Facebook locked President Donald Trump’s social media accounts, and YouTube removed his video amid the U.S. Capitol siege. Are big tech companies taking adequate steps to combat misinformation?
January 6, 2021, will be marked as a distressing day in the history of American politics. On Wednesday, supporters of President Donald Trump breached security and stormed inside the U.S. Capitol building, interrupting lawmakers’ meeting to formally confirm President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. The violence at the U.S. Capitol led to the evacuation of the Senate, the deployment of the National Guard, lockdown of the building, and death of four citizens.
Apparently, Trump incited his supporters through posts and a video on social media platforms, which led to the riots at the U.S. Capitol building. Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube then took action against Trump by suspending his accounts and removing the video. This was marked as the strongest action taken by social media platforms against Trump.
Twitter announced it had locked President Donald Trump’s for 12 hours after removing three tweets that the company said were “repeated and severe violations†of its civic integrity policy.
As a result of the unprecedented and ongoing violent situation in Washington, D.C., we have required the removal of three @realDonaldTrumpOpens a new window Tweets that were posted earlier today for repeated and severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy.
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) January 7, 2021Opens a new window
Twitter warned that any future violations of its rules, including its civic integrity or violent threats policies, will result in permanent suspension of the @realDonaldTrump account.
Following Twitter’s footsteps, Facebook then announced that it had imposed a 24-hour lock on Trump’s account, where the president would temporarily lose the ability to post on the social media platform.
We’ve assessed two policy violations against President Trump’s Page which will result in a 24-hour feature block, meaning he will lose the ability to post on the platform during that time.
— Facebook Newsroom (@fbnewsroom) January 7, 2021Opens a new window
Guy Rosen, VP of integrity at Facebook, tweeted that Facebook is taking appropriate emergency measures regarding the situation. “We removed it (video) because, on balance, we believe it contributes to rather than diminishes the risk of ongoing violence,†Rosen saidOpens a new window .Â
Furthermore, Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, tweetedOpens a new window that Trump’s Instagram account will be locked for 24 hours.
YouTube removed Trump’s video, citing that the video violated its policies on spreading election fraud. Reportedly, in the banned video, Trump urged his supporters to gather in Washington, D.C and made false claims of the election fraud. In the video, the president said, “I know your pain. I know you’re hurt. But you have to go home now. We can’t play into the hands of these people. We have to have peace. So go home. We love you. You’re very special.â€
According to Axios reportOpens a new window , Snapchat became the fourth social media platform to lock Trump’s Snapchat account.
Amid the chaotic situation, Trump tweeted his supporters to remain peaceful.
I am asking for everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful. No violence! Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order – respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue. Thank you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2021Opens a new window
Social media companies have long faced criticism over the lack of stringent policies against Trump’s false and misleading posts.
Roger McNamee, a tech accountability activist, wroteOpens a new window , “Internet platforms — FB, Instagram, Google, YouTube, Twitter, etc. — enabled this. They amplified hate speech, disinformation, and conspiracy theories because it was profitable. They are accessories to the felonies we are seeing on our TVs.â€
Rep. Frank Pallone, chairman of the energy commerce committee, saidOpens a new window , “Trump is inciting violence and spreading dangerous misinformation that is undermining our democracy and our way of life. Social media continues to amplify his anti-democratic rhetoric. It’s time for Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter, and Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, to remove Trump from their platforms.
As per the latest information, the U.S. Capitol is now secured, and the Congress resumed their session and formally validated Joe Biden’s presidential election victory. Wednesday’s disturbing events are a reflection of the power social media platforms hold. Social networking giants must take better responsibility for the content shared on their platform and incorporate strong guidelines to prevent misinformation and hate speech. Companies must develop strategies that will utilize AI and human intelligence to combat the growing misinformation on their platforms.
What are your thoughts on the decision of social media platforms to lock Trump’s account? Comment below or let us know on LinkedInOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , or FacebookOpens a new window . We’d love to hear from you!