San Francisco (AFP)

Facebook suspended Donald Trump for two years, and announced that politicians would no longer benefit from preferential treatment when they violate the rules of the social network, measures deemed insufficient on the left, and killers of the right.

The former US president will only be able to return when the "risks to the safety of the public have disappeared," said the platform, which had temporarily excluded him on January 7 for having encouraged his supporters during the attack on the Capitol. in Washington the day before, an unprecedented decision.

This ban was pronounced under a new tailor-made rule, created by the Californian group in relation to the events of January 6, also announced Friday.

It provides for sanctions ranging from one month to two years of suspension for public figures in the event of unrest and violence, according to a press release.

Repeat offenders can be permanently banned.

More than six months after his defeat at the polls, Donald Trump continues to give headaches to the social media giant, torn between concern to respect freedom of expression and the moral and economic necessity of cleaning up exchanges between his two, 85 billion monthly users.

Facebook had tried to ask its very young supervisory board to assess the relevance of the exclusion for an indefinite period of Donald Trump, but the body had returned the ball to its camp in early May.

"Facebook's decision is an insult to the 75 million people, and many others, who voted for us in the fraudulent 2020 presidential election," the former head of state, ostracized by most of the major platforms since the riots which left several dead and shocked the country.

- "Cauldron of extremism" -

The council had especially called on the network to clarify its "arbitrary" rules: "the same rules should apply to all users", insisted its international and independent members.

Whose act: Facebook has just ended the very controversial immunity enjoyed by elected officials and candidates who break its rules, in the name of "the public's interest in being informed".

"When we evaluate content in terms of importance to the information, we will not treat the words of politicians differently from those of others," said Nick Clegg, the director of public affairs at the firm.

"Donald Trump has shown how a political leader can use social media to undermine democratic institutions, such as elections and the peaceful transfer of power," said Paul Barrett, professor of law at New York University.

"Facebook is right to change tactics and apply its rules against harmful behavior to policies."

But many NGOs consider that the network has for too long amplified the inflammatory remarks of the Republican billionaire, and should exclude him for good, like Twitter.

Company boss Mark Zuckerberg "admitted that Trump used Facebook to incite a violent insurgency. Despite this, Facebook continues to consider reestablishing Trump's account," said Angelo Carusone, chairman of the company. association Media Matters for America.

If he returned, the platform "would remain a cauldron of extremism, disinformation and violence," he continued.

- "We love you" -

Mark Zuckerberg has long refused to play the role of "arbiter of online truth."

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A position that has become untenable with Donald Trump, quick to minimize the seriousness of the pandemic or to denounce, without proof, alleged electoral fraud.

So many words that add fuel to the fire in a country that is already very divided.

The invasion of Congress, which killed several people, was a turning point.

"We love you", said the former White House tenant in a video during the assault.

But Facebook had not returned to its list of political figures exempted from some of its rules and sanctions (on disinformation, in particular) so that the public could form their own opinion.

This preferential treatment drew a lot of criticism, including internally.

Facebook's reluctance to withdraw messages from Donald Trump a year ago, seen as support for police violence during protests against widespread racism, had been publicly disowned by employees.

The platform and its neighbors, like Twitter, have tightened their moderation of content, with a lot of reports backed up by problematic messages.

These initiatives do not prevent Democrats from blaming them for their ineffectiveness in containing disinformation, while Republicans accuse them of censorship.

"They should not have the right to censor and muzzle like that. But in the end we will win," Donald Trump assured his supporters on Friday.

© 2021 AFP