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Meta Lifts Restrictions on Trump's Facebook and Instagram Accounts

FILED - 16 May 2024, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Schwerin: The Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp apps can be seen on the display of a smartphone, in front of the logo of Meta. Photo: Jens Büttner/dpa
FILED - 16 May 2024, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Schwerin: The Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp apps can be seen on the display of a smartphone, in front of the logo of Meta. Photo: Jens Büttner/dpa
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Meta Lifts Restrictions on Trump's Facebook and Instagram Accounts

FILED - 16 May 2024, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Schwerin: The Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp apps can be seen on the display of a smartphone, in front of the logo of Meta. Photo: Jens Büttner/dpa
FILED - 16 May 2024, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Schwerin: The Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp apps can be seen on the display of a smartphone, in front of the logo of Meta. Photo: Jens Büttner/dpa

Meta said Friday it was lifting restrictions on US presidential candidate Donald Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts, ending measures put in place after his supporters violently stormed the US Capitol in 2021.
It said that "former President Trump, as the nominee of the Republican Party, will no longer be subject to the heightened suspension penalties."
Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts were suspended indefinitely a day after his supporters attacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, and it was determined he had praised people engaged in violence on social media, reported AFP.
His accounts were reinstated in February 2023 but with a threat of penalties for future breaches -- an additional restriction that Meta lifted on Friday.
"In assessing our responsibility to allow political expression, we believe that the American people should be able to hear from the nominees for President on the same basis," Meta wrote in a blog post.
It added that US presidential candidates "remain subject to the same Community Standards as all Facebook and Instagram users, including those policies designed to prevent hate speech and incitement to violence."
Trump, the first former president to be convicted of a crime, was also banned from Twitter and YouTube.
While those restrictions were later lifted last year, Trump now mainly communicates on his own social media platform, Truth Social.
His Facebook profile, which has 34 million users, includes messages originally published on Truth Social as well as invitations to rallies and videos from his campaign.

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Technology

Apple at All-time High after Morgan Stanley Calls Stock 'Top Pick' for AI Efforts

Apple's shares rose 2.5% to a record high on Monday (The AP/File)
Apple's shares rose 2.5% to a record high on Monday (The AP/File)
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Apple at All-time High after Morgan Stanley Calls Stock 'Top Pick' for AI Efforts

Apple's shares rose 2.5% to a record high on Monday (The AP/File)
Apple's shares rose 2.5% to a record high on Monday (The AP/File)

Apple's shares rose 2.5% to a record high on Monday after Morgan Stanley raised its price target on the iPhone maker's shares and designated the stock as a "top pick," citing the company's AI efforts as a boost to device sales.

In what was seen as a move to catch up with Alphabet's Google and Microsoft-backed OpenAI, the iPad maker last month unveiled Apple Intelligence, luring customers to upgrade their devices to be able to use the new technology.

Apple's shares, which have jumped nearly 20% this year, rose to $236.30, giving the company a market value of $3.62 trillion, the highest in the world.

"Apple Intelligence is a clear catalyst to boost iPhone and iPad shipments," Morgan Stanley analysts said, Reuters reported.

The new technology is compatible with only 8% of iPhone and iPad devices and Apple has 1.3 billion units of smartphones currently in use by customers, the analysts said, adding that the company could sell nearly 500 million iPhones over the next two years.

Morgan Stanley, which previously expected Apple to sell between 230 million and 235 million iPhones annually over the next two years, raised its price target on the company's shares to $273 from $216.

The stock has an average rating of "buy" with a median price target of $217, and has outperformed the S&P 500 index this year, according to LSEG data.

Industry analysts expect Samsung and Apple to lead the charge in global smartphone market recovery this year given the buzz around GenAI-enabled smartphones.

Apple sold 45.2 million smartphones globally in the three months ending June, up from 44.5 million a year earlier, but its market share fell to 15.8% from 16.6% in the same period, according to IDC data.