Facebook Oversight Board delays decision about Trump's possible return - BBC News
Facebook's Oversight Board has announced it will announce its decision "in the coming weeks".
Facebook's Oversight Board has delayed its decision regarding former US President Donald Trump's possible return to Facebook and Instagram.

Mr Trump was banned from Facebook in January after the Capitol Hill riots.

The Board said the delay was due to the time it has taken to review over 9,000 public responses to cases.

A decision was originally due by 21 April. In a statement on Twitter, the Board said it would make a decision "in the coming weeks".

This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Oversight Board This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

The ruling will be the biggest decision the Oversight Board has had to make since it started taking on cases last year.

The Board was set up to rule on difficult or controversial moderation decisions made by Facebook.

The 20-member committee, established by Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg, is often referred to as "Facebook's Supreme Court". It operates as an independent entity, although its wages and others costs are covered by the tech company.

The committee is made up of journalists, human rights activists, lawyers and academics.

The group has already ruled on nine cases including:

It's not just Mr Trump's account that is banned. Earlier this month Facebook extended their ban to include the "voice of Trump" after his daughter-in-law and Fox News contributor Laura Trump posted a video of her interviewing the former president.

Several Big Tech platforms took action after the Capitol Hill riots that left five people dead and more than 100 police officers injured. The former president was accused of inciting violence and repeatedly spreading disinformation.

He is suspended on YouTube, but chief executive Susan Wojcicki has said they may lift the ban when the threat of "real-world violence" decreases.

He is permanently banned on Twitter.

According to data from CrowdTangle, some of Mr Trump's Facebook posts were among the most popular in the US.

This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Facebook's Top 10 This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

It has been a few months without Mr Trump on social media and with the threat of that being permanent, he has been considering creating a platform of his own.

Trump adviser Jason Miller told Fox News in March that he expects the former Republican president will return with his "own platform".

It's hard to understate Facebook's use to Donald Trump.

He and his high-profile supporters expertly used the platform to drum up support.

Regularly his updates would be some of the most read, shared and commented-on posts on the platform.

His ability to bypass traditional media and speak directly to people on social media was a key plank of Trumpism.

This decision then is hugely important to Mr Trump's future political ambitions.

And if you look at the decisions that the Oversight Board has already made, he has reason to be optimistic.

In making its decisions, the board has to try to weigh up the rights of freedom of expression with public safety. For most of their rulings so far this year they have erred on the side of free speech.

No-platforming works - we have not heard much from Trump since his election defeat. His megaphone has been taken away, and he desperately wants it back.

He's talked about launching his own social media platform - but building a social network takes time and there are no guarantees of success.

A far easier route to social media influence would be for Facebook to allow him back.