Facebook oversight board announcing Trump suspension update 'in the coming weeks'
The Board said it has received more than 9,000 comments from the public regarding Trump's suspension
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Facebook's independent Oversight Board will give an update on former President Trump's indefinite account suspension "in the coming weeks."
Twitter, Facebook and a number of other social media platforms banned the president from accessing his accounts after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, citing incitement of violence among other reasons.
"The Board will announce its decision on the case concerning former US President Trump's indefinite suspension from Facebook and Instagram in the coming weeks," the Oversight Board, which has been described as Facebook's "Supreme Court," tweeted Friday. "We extended the public comments deadline for this case, receiving 9,000+ responses."
The Board added that its "commitment to carefully reviewing all comments has extended the case timeline, in line with the Board’s bylaws" and that it will "share more information soon."
Facebook's Oversight Board, first announced in May and unveiled in October, allows users to push back against account removals and potentially reverse the company's "difficult content decisions."
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The Board has been reviewing the company's decision to indefinitely suspend the former president's account to determine whether or not to uphold the ban.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Jan. 7 announced the company blocked Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts indefinitely.
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"Today, Facebook is referring its decision to indefinitely suspend former US President Donald Trump’s access to his Facebook and Instagram accounts to the independent Oversight Board," Facebook Vice President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg said in a Jan. 21 statement.
The decision came after the now-former president posted a video to social media telling his supporters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 to "go home in peace" while continuing to push the narrative that the 2020 presidential election was "stolen."
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"Given its significance, we think it is important for the board to review it and reach an independent judgment on whether it should be upheld," Clegg said. "While we await the board’s decision, Mr. Trump’s access will remain suspended indefinitely."
The company hopes the board's decision "will uphold the choices" Facebook made on Jan. 7, Clegg said.