Facebook blocks Trump indefinitely following Capitol Hill violence

In the wake of yesterday's incidents at the US Capitol, Facebook is officially suspending President Donald Trump's account through at least January 21, if not longer, company CEO Mark Zuckerberg said today. The move comes a day after Facebook and other social media platforms deleted posts and suspended accounts belonging to the president, due to messages that condoned rioters who had swarmed the U.S. Capitol.

"We believe the risks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great," CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote in a Facebook post. "Therefore, we are extending the block we have placed on his Facebook and Instagram accounts indefinitely and for at least the next two weeks until the peaceful transition of power is complete."

Meanwhile, Twitter removed three tweets from the account of President Donald Trump on Wednesday and suspended his account for 12 hours after he continued to push conspiracy theories about the election after a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol.

The account suspensions are the farthest either platform has gone in restricting Trump from broadcasting his message directly to his tens of millions of followers. The moves come after years of calls for social media companies to do more to stop the President from spreading misinformation, conspiracy theories and threats that undermine democracy.

Facebook and Twitter have long had rules against inciting violence on their platforms, but throughout Trump's presidency they have refused to suspend or ban Trump in cases where critics say he has fanned the flames of violence.

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