In a recent development, Portugal's far-right party Chega has announced its plan to take legal action against Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, over the decision to restrict its Facebook account for 10 years. Chega, the third-largest political party in Portugal, had its account restricted for 3,649 days due to activity that 'disrespected our community standards'. The party argues that Meta did not provide an opportunity to appeal the decision and plans to challenge it in court.
Chega's leader, Andre Ventura, has condemned the account restriction as 'unacceptable censorship' and has called on supporters to express their indignation. The party has a significant presence on social media, with 199,000 followers on Facebook and over 280,000 followers on TikTok. The legal action taken by Chega highlights the ongoing battle between social media platforms and political parties over content moderation and freedom of speech.
This incident adds to the growing number of conflicts between political parties and social media platforms regarding content moderation and censorship. It raises questions about the power of social media platforms to restrict political speech and the extent to which they should be held accountable for their decisions. The outcome of Chega's legal action could have implications for the future of political discourse on social media platforms in Portugal and beyond.
In another news, Meta has announced that it is lifting restrictions on former US President Donald Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts. The restrictions were initially put in place after Trump's supporters stormed the US Capitol in 2021. Trump's accounts were suspended indefinitely following the attack, but were reinstated in February 2023 with the threat of penalties for breaches. However, Meta has now lifted the additional restriction, stating that political candidates should be able to express themselves on social media. Trump's accounts will still be subject to the same Community Standards as all other users.
The decision by Meta to lift the restrictions on Trump's accounts comes amidst ongoing debates about the role of social media platforms in content moderation and the influence of political figures on these platforms. It raises questions about the balance between freedom of speech and the prevention of harmful or dangerous content. The lifting of the restrictions on Trump's accounts may have implications for the future of content moderation policies on social media platforms.