عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Technology

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
TT
TT

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.

Most Viewed

 
 
Technology

Samsung Elec Union in SKorea Says it Will Strike Indefinitely

Members of the National Samsung Electronics Union gather during a rally as they began a three-day general strike outside of Samsung Electronics' Hwaseong campus in Hwaseong, South Korea, Monday, July 8, 2024. (Hong Ki-won/Yonhap via AP)
Members of the National Samsung Electronics Union gather during a rally as they began a three-day general strike outside of Samsung Electronics' Hwaseong campus in Hwaseong, South Korea, Monday, July 8, 2024. (Hong Ki-won/Yonhap via AP)
TT
TT

Samsung Elec Union in SKorea Says it Will Strike Indefinitely

Members of the National Samsung Electronics Union gather during a rally as they began a three-day general strike outside of Samsung Electronics' Hwaseong campus in Hwaseong, South Korea, Monday, July 8, 2024. (Hong Ki-won/Yonhap via AP)
Members of the National Samsung Electronics Union gather during a rally as they began a three-day general strike outside of Samsung Electronics' Hwaseong campus in Hwaseong, South Korea, Monday, July 8, 2024. (Hong Ki-won/Yonhap via AP)

A workers' union at tech giant Samsung Electronics in South Korea said on Wednesday it would continue to strike indefinitely, stepping up its campaign for better pay and benefits, Reuters reported.
The National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU), whose roughly 30,000 members make up almost a quarter of the firm's South Korean workforce, said it has decided to continue striking because management has shown no indication of holding talks after a strike that started on Monday.
"We haven't spoken to management since we started the strike on Monday," said Lee Hyun-kuk, the union's vice president.
The union said it would extend the strike, which was initially planned to last three days through Wednesday. Lee told Reuters that the strike has disrupted production on certain chip lines such as with equipment running more slowly.
Samsung said the strike had caused no disruption during the first three days.
"Samsung Electronics will ensure no disruptions occur in the production lines. The company remains committed to engaging in good faith negotiations with the union," the company said in a statement.
The union is becoming more vocal and seeking to be treated as an equal partner, adding to challenges at the world's biggest memory chipmaker which is struggling to navigate competition in chips used for artificial intelligence (AI) applications.
Lee said about 6,500 workers have been participating in the strike and that the union will encourage more members to join.
Union officials have disputed reports of low participation, telling Reuters that the five-year-old body did not have enough time to educate members about the labor issues. The union held a training session on Tuesday and will conduct another on Wednesday.
Analysts said it would be difficult to verify whether the strike has disrupted production unless the union provides details of wafers and processes.
The union said it has revised demands to include a 3.5% increase in base salary and, instead of an extra day's annual leave, a day off to mark the union's founding. Lee said the management previously offered a 3% rise in base salary but the union wants 3.5% to better reflect inflation.
Samsung's share price was down 0.3% while the benchmark KOSPI index was little changed as at 0423 GMT.