Donald Trump Slams Social Media After Facebook Bans Content

Donald Trump spent his weekend criticizing social media companies after Facebook banned several extremist figures and warned that he would be “monitoring and watching, closely!!”

Trump tweeted and re-tweeted complaints about the platform’s ban and said he would “monitor the censorship of AMERICAN CITIZENS on social media platforms.” He has been very vocal about social media companies exhibiting bias against conservatives, which has continuously been denied by the companies although they have had to apologize for mistakes in their automated systems in the past.

Earlier this week, Facebook banned Louis Farrakhan, Alex Jones, and a few others with “extreme” views, claiming they violated its ban on “dangerous individuals.” According to The Epoch, Facebook also removed right-wing personalities Paul Nehlen, Milo Yiannopoulos, Paul Joseph Watson, and Laura Loomer, along with Jones’ site, Infowars, which is known to post conspiracy theories.

The bans apply to both Facebook and Instagram platforms and extend to fan pages and other related accounts. Facebook says it has “always banned” people or groups that express violent or hateful sentiments or engage in acts of hate or violence, regardless of political ideology. They have zero-tolerance for objectionable material such as hate, racism, and anti-Semitism.

On Twitter, actor James Woods, one of Hollywood’s most outspoken conservatives, had his Twitter account locked. Twitter spokeswoman Katie Rosborough said Woods has to delete a tweet that violated Twitter guidelines before he can have his account reinstated. Rosborough said Twitter enforces guidelines “impartially for all users, regardless of their background or political affiliation.”

However, Trump speaks to the contrary. He tweeted, “How can it be possible that James Woods (and many others), a strong but responsible Conservative Voice, is banned from Twitter? Social Media & Fake News Media, together with their partner, the Democrat Party, have no idea the problems they are causing for themselves. VERY UNFAIR!”

Have do you think the ban will affect social media moving forward? Do you feel it was necessary?