Facebook oversight board received 9,000 comments on Trump suspension case

Facebook’s Oversight Board has received around 9,000 comments on the suspension of former President Trump.

Politico reports that the group, which was launched late last year, received nearly 100 times the amount of comments for Trump’s case than it has for its first five cases combined. Facebook spokesperson Dex Hunter-Torricke told Politico that the group had received around 100 comments for the first five cases.

“This is an order of magnitude greater” Hunter-Torricke told the news outlet in regards to public interest. “There are all sorts of actors and ordinary folks who said this is something that I care about.”

Facebook, along with other social media giants such as Twitter, suspended Trump’s access to his account following the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol breach, which some say he incited. 

Facebook has so far made no indication that it will lift its suspension on Trump’s account. The account is still able to be seen, with Trump’s access to it being the only factor that is restricted.

Politico notes that the Oversight Board extended the deadline for submissions on Trump’s case for one week, due to a “high levels of interest.” Friday will now be the last day for submissions to sent in to the board regarding Trump’s Facebook suspension.

The board is expected to rule on Trump’s case by April, Politico notes, though the high-profile nature of the case has caused board members to commit to ruling on the case at a faster rate.