One day after President Donald Trump's lockdown Posting on Facebok for 24 hoursMark Zuckerberg, CEO, said Thursday that the president's accounts on Facebook and the photo-sharing app Instagram would be suspended indefinitely. The social network's bans came after a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday as Congress gathered in the building to certify Joe Biden as the next U.S. President.
"We believe that the risk that the president can continue to use our service during this time is just too great," wrote CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a Facebook post. "That is why we are extending the block that we have placed on his Facebook and Instagram accounts indefinitely and for at least the next two weeks until the peaceful transfer of power is complete."
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Biden's inauguration takes place on January 20th.
The bans represent Facebook's strongest action against Trump's posts. So far, they have limited themselves to flagging his comments on election fraud and arguing that his posts are of public interest.
"The current context is now fundamentally different and includes the use of our platform to instigate violent uprisings against a democratically elected government," wrote Zuckerberg on Thursday.
Continue reading: 25th change: what it is and how it would remove Trump from power if called upon
Twitter too Trump temporarily blocked For the first time after Wednesday's violence, when Twitter said his posts violated the rules of meddling in elections or other civic processes. A spokesman for Twitter said Thursday that the social network continues to assess the situation in real time.
The bans followed a far-reaching push for social networks to address the posts of president that spread misinformation and incite violence about the 2020 elections. Professor of Law at the University of Virginia Danielle Citron, Journalist Kara Swisher, CTO of the Obama Foundation Leslie Miley and Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt were among high profile figures calling on Twitter to block Trump as Capitol Hill was in chaos.
On Thursday Trump shared a statement via White House Social Media Director Dan Scavino. He said there would be an "orderly transfer of power" on January 20, but said he still disagreed with the election result and made no mention of a concession.
The FBI also posted on Facebook and Twitter on Thursday seek public help in identifying those involved in the Capitol Hill incident.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
