Facebook lifts restrictions on Trump, giving him equal footing with Biden on the social media site
Washington, Jul 13: Facebook has lifted restrictions imposed on Donald Trump after the Jan 6 attack on the Capitol, placing the former president on an equal footing on the platform with President Joe Biden just days before the Republican National Convention.
The social media giant had initially banned the former president from using its platforms in 2021 after his supporters stormed the Capitol. Meta, Facebook's parent company, lifted that ban last year but announced Trump would be subject to “guardrails” such as "heightened suspension penalties” if posts violated its standards.
Now, the company has removed those restrictions, reasoning that while they were put in place following the “extreme and extraordinary circumstances” of the Capitol attack, Trump had not done anything to run afoul of them.
“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,” Nick Clegg, Meta's president of global affairs wrote in a statement posted to the company's website Friday.
Clegg added that both Biden and Trump are still subject to the same “community standards” that apply to all other users of the company's platforms, including Facebook and Instagram.
Facebook, the world's largest social media site, had been both a publicity tool and a crucial place to tap donations from supporters for both of Trump's previous campaigns.
These days, however, he has been posting frequently on his own Truth Social site, which he launched after Facebook and others suspended him.
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Caste census alone won't suffice, conduct socio-economic survey as well: Siddaramaiah tells Centre
Bagalkote (Karnataka), Apr 30 (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday insisted that the Centre should conduct a socio-economic survey as the caste census alone will not suffice.
In a major decision, the Centre on Wednesday announced that caste enumeration will be included in the forthcoming census exercise in a ‘transparent’ manner.
Opposition parties, including the Congress, have been demanding a nationwide caste census, making it a major election issue, and some states like Bihar, Telangana and Karnataka have conducted such surveys in their states.
Karnataka carried out a ‘social and educational survey’ covering 94 per cent of the state population. After nine years of the exercise since 2015, the then Backward Class Commission Chairperson Jayaprakash Hegde submitted the report to the chief minister in February 2024.
Amid internal differences over the caste census report, a special meeting of the state cabinet that met on April 17, 2025, to discuss it, ended inconclusive, without any major decision.
Speaking to reporters here, Siddaramaiah said, "We (Congress) had said in our manifesto that a socio-economic and caste census should be conducted. I don’t know whether they would do just a caste census or a socio-economic survey as well. I will react after going through it (Centre’s decision)."
Siddaramaiah said a socio-economic survey was necessary for social justice.
"They (Centre) have said they would do a census and caste census. Socio-economic survey is very important. If we have to do social justice, then socio-economic survey has to be done," he added.
When he was reminded that he faced criticism for tabling the caste census at a cabinet meeting held recently, the chief minister said he had told all the ministers to give their opinion.
"After the ministers submit their opinion in writing, we will present it in the cabinet and discuss the socio-economic survey report," Siddaramaiah added.
