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Color Of Change: Oversight Board’s Decision on Trump Proves Facebook Cannot be Trusted to Self-Regulate

For Immediate Release: May 5, 2021

Contact: media@colorofchange.org

Color Of Change: Oversight Board’s Decision on Trump Proves Facebook Cannot be Trusted to Self-Regulate

NATIONWIDE — In response to the Facebook Oversight Board’s announcement regarding its decision to uphold Facebook’s suspension of Donald Trump, Color Of Change President Rashad Robinson issued the following statement:

“Let’s be clear: what should have been swift and decisive action from Facebook to remove Trump from its platform years ago was instead a months-long bureaucratic process because Facebook’s leadership refuses to take responsibility for their harms against our democracy. They would rather attempt to deceive Facebook users — and regulators — into relying on the Oversight Board as the only effective form of accountability the company should face. We cannot and we will not validate this illegitimate and anti-democratic circus of a process that highlights the need for structural and regulatory change.

By sending the question to the Facebook Policy team, the Oversight Board has opened the door for Donald Trump’s return to the platform and in doing so created a dangerous performance of a legitimate governing process. In so many ways, this circus underscores how the Oversight Board is a ruse to stave off regulatory action. Trump used his Facebook account to spread violent disinformation to millions of users in an attempt to overthrow our democracy and invalidate Black votes. It is unconscionable that an individual who was complicit in the armed insurrection at our nation’s capital would possibly be welcomed back onto the platform.

If Trump is allowed back on the platform, he will once again have access to his bully pulpit to stoke the flames of white nationalism and incite violence against Black communities and our allies. Tech behemoths like Facebook cannot be trusted to self-regulate. Facebook has failed in this regard numerous times and will continue enabling white nationalists to use the platform to organize, spread lies and wage violence against Black people until the business model no longer incentivizes hate for profit. This decision is yet another demonstration of the urgent need for Congress and the Biden-Harris administration to create new rules of the road to reign in Facebook’s stronghold on our democracy. Color Of Change will continue to leverage our millions of members to hold Facebook accountable and demand they permanently ban Trump from the platform.”

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About Color Of Change:

Color Of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. We help people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by over 7 million members, we move decision-makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America. Visit www.colorofchange.org

 

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