One outspoken critic of Facebook’s Oversight Board ripped it to shreds on Sunday, saying among other things that Facebook “exercises too much power” in the process of determining if Donald Trump should be banned permanently from the social media site.
His name is Michael McConnell, and what gives him credibility and keen insight into what he’s talking about is the fact that he’s a cochair of the Oversight Board.
McConnell went on Fox News Sunday night and said that Facebook was correct in banning Trump January 6 for his posts leading up to the Capitol riot. McConnell pointed out a specific rule that he felt Trump trampled on, saying his posts were a “plain violation of Facebook’s rules against praising dangerous individuals and organizations at a time of violence.”
The one post that put the dagger in Trump’s Facebook account was this one, when he was speaking directly to the rioters that stormed the U.S. Capitol that afternoon. After telling them to “go home,” Trump added “we love you, you are very special.”
One thing that is hard to argue with is the fact that Facebook takes itself way too seriously. Even when a board member like McConnell goes rogue and talks to the press, his criticism of the board and social media site having too much power is tempered with his comments that Trump deserved to be banned.
McConnell believes the whole process is a convoluted mess. While he believes Facebook has too much power as it determines the long-term fate of Trump on Facebook and Instagram, the fact remains that Mark Zuckerberg will decide within the next six months if Trump’s ban will be for life or just temporary.
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