Following Twitter’s lead, after a two-year reprieve, Meta announced that it will restore Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts on Wednesday. Effectively re-releasing him into the public mainstream after his stint in social media jail, the majority of viewers are again uneasy.
According to Meta President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg’s statement, “Our determination is that the risk [to public safety] has sufficiently receded…As such, we will be reinstating Mr. Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts in the coming weeks. However, we are doing so with new guardrails in place to deter repeat offenses.”
Clegg said that Trump could be suspended for as much as two years at a time for violating platform policies in the future.
This action will once again give rise to Trump’s next attempt at a bid for the White House. However, Clegg stipulates that new “guardrails in place” may keep him reigned in when it comes to fake news and instigating Capitol insurgencies. Repeat infractions now carry a hefty fine of up to two years suspension per offense.
Will it be enough to keep the incitement of civil unrest on a leash? Will he even want to come back? We have yet to hear a response from Trump’s reps on whether he will be returning to his previous internet antics. Since his reinstatement in November, Trump has yet to return to Twitter, opting to stay on his platform, Truth Social.