Will Donald Trump Be Allowed To Rejoin Facebook?

Will Donald Trump Be Allowed To Rejoin Facebook?

Facebook’s independent Oversight Board will vote soon on whether to allow Donald Trump back on Facebook and Instagram.

Blind, an anonymous community of verified professionals with four million+ users, began running a survey and asked 2,800 users:

  1. Should social media companies be allowed to decide whether a piece of content/ persons should be removed from its platform?
  2. Has the removal of President Donald Trump’s account affected how you view big tech?
  3. Do you personally believe Donald Trump should be allowed back on Facebook?
Key learnings:
  • 66% of professionals believe social media companies should be allowed to decide on whether a piece of content/ persons should be removed from its platform
    • This is Starkly contrasted by Reddit professionals opinions, where 67% believe social media companies should NOT be allowed to decide on whether a piece of content/ persons should be removed from its platform
  • ⅓ of professionals view big tech more favorably after social media companies removed President Donald Trump’s accounts
    • 40% of Facebook professionals view big tech more favorably after social media companies removed President Donald Trump’s accounts
    • 67% of Reddit professionals view big tech more negatively after social media companies removed President Donald Trump’s accounts
    • 50% of Snap professionals view big tech more negatively after social media companies removed President Donald Trump’s accounts
  • 59% of professionals do not believe Donald Trump should be allowed back on Facebook
    • 54% of Facebook professionals do not believe Donald Trump should be allowed back on Facebook
    • 67% of Twitter professionals do not believe Donald Trump should be allowed back on Facebook
    • 89% of Visa professionals do not believe Donald Trump should be allowed back on Facebook

However, this isn’t a particularly new sentiment among social media company employees.

Back in May, for the first time ever, Twitter placed fact-checking links alongside two Trump tweets that contained false claims about voter fraud. As a reaction, Trump issued an executive order directing federal regulators to consider stripping social media companies of the legal shield that says they are not liable for the content posted on their platforms. The executive order aims to significantly diminish social media companies’ legal protections. 

At that time Mark Zuckerberg disagreed with Jack Dorsey’s approach.  In interviews that week, Zuckerberg reiterated his long-standing stance: “I don’t think Facebook or internet platforms, in general, should be ‘arbiters of truth’,” he said. 

Blind, began ran a survey asking: 

  1. Should Twitter be allowed to fact-check the tweets of President Donald Trump?
  2. Do you agree with the following statement: “social networks should not be fact-checking political speech”
  3. In your opinion, is a platform suppressing free speech when they move to suspend users or delete posts?
  4. Who is accountable for the spread of misinformation on social media platforms?

Key Takeaways (05/28-05/29) 1,500 Responses:

  • 83% of professionals said Twitter should be allowed to fact-check the tweets of President Donald Trump
    • 78% of Facebook professionals said Twitter should be allowed to fact-check the tweets of President Donald Trump
    • 76% of Twitter professionals  said Twitter should be allowed to fact-check the tweets of President Donald Trump
  • 68% of respondents Somewhat disagree/ disagree with the following statement: “social networks should not be fact-checking political speech”
  • 31% of  respondents do not think a platform is suppressing free speech when they move to suspend users or delete posts
  • 34% of respondents hold the platform accountable for the spread of misinformation on social media platforms
  • 58% of respondents hold the user  accountable for the spread of misinformation on social media platforms

On Blind, one Apple employee posted, “Thank you Twitter and folks who work there. I don’t know who needs to hear this, but, you guys did a brave thing.” 

Later in September, it became clear that the responsibility of electoral integrity was falling on U.S. tech companies nearly as much as on the government. Blind took to the platform and asked its users the same two questions, to get a pulse on how tech VS Facebook employees felt about this accountability. 

  1. Do you believe it is the responsibility of Facebook to prevent misinformation about the election?
  2. Are you surprised by Zuckerberg’s stance given his previous “free speech” stance?

Key Findings as of 9/04- 9/09 (~1,500 Responses): 

  • 68% of surveyed tech professionals believe it is the responsibility of Facebook to prevent misinformation about the election
  • Contrasted by only 47% of Facebook employees
  • 33% of surveyed tech professionals are surprised by Zuckerberg’s stance given his previous “free speech” stance
    • Contrasted by only 27% of Facebook employee

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that the platform will not sell inventory for political ads in the week leading up to the election, in order to prevent last-minute misinformation. Any alteration to Facebook’s political ad policies was noteworthy—especially given how rigidly Zuckerberg has stayed the “free speech” course up until that point.

Now, we wait to see if Donald Trump will be allowed back on Facebook.

“The decision will set a historic precedent for how the tech giant will treat accounts of world leaders moving forward. It’s also an important litmus test of the board’s independence.”