UPDATED 1/7, 11:05 a.m. ET: Mark Zuckerberg stated on his Facebook page, “We believe the risks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great.” Donald Trump’s accounts on Facebook and Instagram will be blocked “indefinitely” and “for at least the next two weeks until the peaceful transition of power is complete to his elected successor, Joe Biden,” wrote the oft-scrutinized leader of the platform.
Trump's "decision to use his platform to condone rather than condemn the actions of his supporters at the Capitol building has rightly disturbed people in the US and around the world," Zuckerberg said. "We removed these statements yesterday because we judged that their effect—and likely their intent—would be to provoke further violence.”
UPDATED 1/6, 7:05 p.m. ET: Twitter made the decision to delete an incendiary tweet from Trump that baselessly spewed his ludicrous claims of election fraud and rationalized the violence that has been occurring in his name.
The company is also locking Trump's account for the next 12 hours.
The company also deleted Trump's recently posted video message in which he appeals to his rioters by saying "I know your pain, I know you're hurt."
The two tweets that have been removed have been replaced with a label that reads "This Tweet is no longer available."
"As a result of the unprecedented and ongoing violent situation in Washington, D.C., we have required the removal of three @realDonaldTrump Tweets that were posted earlier today for repeated and severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy," Twitter explained.
The company went on to say that Trump's account is at the risk of getting suspended permanently if he continues to break rules.
YouTube has also removed Trump's video.
See the original story below.
Twitter users are calling on the company and its CEO Jack Dorsey to deactivate Donald Trump's Twitter account amid the chaotic situation in Washington D.C.
Crowds of Trump supporters gathered in Washington on Wednesday following the "Stop the Steal" rally held on the National Mall, later storming the Capitol building as Congress was deliberating the election results inside. Photos showed the MAGA cultists clashing with police and damaging public property, and now Twitter users are blaming Jack Dorsey en masse for enabling Trump's attempts at misinformation and provocations of violence.
The Twitter Safety account did not respond to these requests, but did suggest that the company is closely monitoring the situation. "We are working proactively to protect the health of the public conversation occurring on the service and will take action on any content that violates the Twitter Rules," the account tweeted. "Threats of and calls to violence are against the Twitter Rules, and we are enforcing our policies accordingly."
As of right now, the company says that it is "exploring other escalated enforcement actions," although any concrete plans were not detailed. Perhaps it's little too late, and the damage of social media has already been done.
Trump's latest tweet, which once again saw him talk about his unfounded claims of election fraud while telling those storming the Capitol to go home, features a note that informs users that the tweet can't be replied to, retweeted, or liked "due to a risk of violence."
The content of the video itself also shows why people are asking for his account to be deleted, deactivated, or limited. "I know your pain," he said, calling the election "stolen." He continued, "There's been a time like this, where such a thing happened where they can take it away from all of us." He ended the video by saying he "loves" the "very special" people taking to the Capitol because of the things he said. "Go home and go home in peace," he said.
Guy Rosen, Facebook's VP of Integrity, announced that the company decided to remove Trump's video.
"This is an emergency situation and we are taking appropriate emergency measures, including removing President Trump's video," Rosen wrote. "We removed it because on balance we believe it contributes to rather than diminishes the risk of ongoing violence."
Trump later reiterated his baseless claims of election fraud, tweeting that "these are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away," in reference to the attack on the Capitol by his supporters.
Check out the pleas for Twitter to do something, anything about Trump's dangerous behavior below.
