Former National Security Agency (NSA) employee Edward Snowden commented on Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to block the US President Donald Trump’s Facebook account under the pretext of protecting freedom of expression in the digital space.
“Facebook officially silences the President of the United States. For better or worse, this will be remembered as a turning point in the battle for control over digital speech,” the former contractor wrote on his Twitter account.
Facebook officially silences the President of the United States. For better or worse, this will be remembered as a turning point in the battle for control over digital speech. https://t.co/RBfoIn4ENE
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) January 7, 2021
Snowden also addressed those who celebrate Trump’s block on the social network.
“But imagine for a moment a world that exists for more than the next 13 days, and this becomes a milestone that will endure.”
I know a lot of folks in the comments read this are like "YAAAAS," which, like—I get it. But imagine for a moment a world that exists for more than the next 13 days, and this becomes a milestone that will endure.
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) January 7, 2021
Social networks Twitter, Facebook and Instagram have temporarily suspended Donald Trump’s accounts after his supporters stormed the headquarters of the US Congress. The president published a message urging his supporters to leave the building but insisted on alleged electoral fraud.
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Zuckerberg explained his decision, stating that Trump’s conduct on the social network “clearly demonstrates” that he intends to “use his remaining time in office to undermine the peaceful and lawful transition of power to his elected successor, Joe Biden.”
Twitter then re-activated the president’s account, which has already posted its first tweet after the crash. In a video message, Trump condemns the riots and violence in Washington and says he will focus on transferring his powers to the country’s president-elect, Joe Biden.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2021
Meanwhile, the president’s Facebook account remains deactivated.
The social media founder explained that while Trump was previously allowed to use Facebook because society “has the right to as broad access to political discourse, even controversial speech,” the representative now uses the platform “to incite violent insurrection against a democratically elected government.”
“We believe the risks of allowing the President to continue using our service during this period are simply too high,” Zuckerberg said.