Facebook and Instagram parent Meta Platforms Inc. on Friday said it would lift restrictions placed last year on the social-media accounts of former President Donald Trump - a move the company said is intended to level the playing field for this year's presidential election.
"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," Nick Clegg, Meta's president of global affairs, said in an updated announcement.
"As a result, former President Trump, as the nominee of the Republican Party, will no longer be subject to the heightened suspension penalties," he continued.
Shares of Meta (META) initially dipped in after-hours trading Friday but were up fractionally at last check. The stock closed regular trading down 2.7%.
The social-media giant made the decision amid ongoing concerns about the spread of misinformation online as both political parties prepare for their conventions, and as President Biden tries to shore up his re-election campaign after stumbling at last month's presidential debate.
Last year, Meta said it would restore Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts. The company had banned him in the wake of the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, following his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. But Trump still faced possible suspensions for future violations of Meta's posting guidelines.
On Friday, Meta said those penalties "were a response to extreme and extraordinary circumstances, and have not had to be deployed." It added that U.S. presidential candidates were subject to the same rules on Facebook and Instagram as everyone else.
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