President Trump Silenced On Social Media

Facebook and Instagram CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, began considering suspending Trump's Facebook account indefinitely after a mob of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. Earlier that day, Zuckerberg suspended the account for 24 hours, which has now turned into a ban on both his Facebook and Instagram accounts lasting at least until the end of Trump's term. In a Facebook post, Zuckerberg said, "We believe the risks of allowing President Trump to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great."

On the same day, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey made the decision to permanently delete Trump's account, saying that his ability to post presented a risk to public safety. Twitter announced the ban on Friday, January 8.

In the days following his ban from Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, other social media platforms followed suit. Google removed Trump's YouTube channel and Reddit banned some pro-Trump forums. In addition, Snapchat, which had already limited Trump's activity on the platform, announced that it would permanently ban his account on January 20, the final day of his presidency.

These decisions showed the absolute power that social media companies have, as they were able to cut off the President of the United States from one of his most influential broadcasting tools. Dorsey stands by his decision to ban Trump, but warned that their decision may set a dangerous precident for Big Tech.