A Major Ruling From Facebook’s ‘Supreme Court’

<p>Was Facebook right to indefinitely bar former President Donald J. Trump from the platform after the Capitol riot?</p><p>The company’s oversight board, which rules on some of the thorniest speech decisions on the platform, decided that, while the ban was justified at the time, the parameters of the suspension needed to be defined.</p><p>What does the ruling tell us about Facebook’s “Supreme Court.”</p><p>Guest: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/cecilia-kang?smid=pc-thedaily">Cecilia Kang</a>, a reporter covering technology and regulatory policy for The New York Times.</p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/signup/NTTD?smid=pc-thedaily">Sign up here</a> to get The Daily in your inbox each morning. And for an exclusive look at how the biggest stories on our show come together, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/the-daily?module=inline">subscribe to our newsletter</a>. </p><p>Background reading: </p><ul><li>Facebook’s company-appointed panel ruled that Facebook should<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/05/technology/facebook-trump-ban-upheld.html"> reassess the barring of Mr. Trump</a> and make a final decision in six months.</li><li>Lawmakers,<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/05/technology/facebook-oversight-board-decision-reaction.html"> both Republican and Democrat</a>, have criticized the board’s decision.</li><li>Here are some<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/05/technology/What-Is-the-Facebook-Oversight-Board.html"> central facts to know about the oversight board</a>.</li></ul><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily">nytimes.com/thedaily</a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. </p>