Snapchat latest to permanently ban Trump’s account

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Snapchat will permanently suspend President Donald Trump’s account after President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20.
• The tech company noted that the move was made to stop Trump’s spread of false information that can incite violence.
• Trump slammed social media companies on Tuesday, saying that their decision to ban his accounts was very bad for the country.

According to a Snapchat spokesperson who spoke with The Hill, the social tech platform has considered banning President Donald Trump’s account permanently when President-elect Joe Biden officially assumes office next week.

In an email statement to the outlet, Snapchat said that it has been “been assessing what long term action is in the best interest of our Snapchat community” after it announced last week that Trump’s account would be banned ‘indefinitely’ following Wednesday’s siege at the US Capitol led by his supporters.

The spokesman added: “In the interest of public safety, and based on his attempts to spread misinformation, hate speech, and incite violence, which are clear violations of our guidelines, we have made the decision to permanently terminate his account.”

Snapchat, whose platform was utilized by Trump’s campaign to reach young adults, noted that the president has continuously violated their community policies as well as their terms and conditions for months after they discontinued promoting his account’s content on their “Discover” section.

Snapchat’s decision came after other social media giants like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube have opted to suspended the president’s social media accounts.

Last Friday, Twitter also decided to permanently ban Trump’s account. Facebook and YouTube, meanwhile, froze the president’s accounts indefinitely or until Biden is formally seated at the White House.

Since Election Day, Trump has continuously claimed without evidence of massive voter fraud. He had instilled to his supporters that the election was “rigged” which resulted in chaos on January 6, when pro-Trump mob marched to the Capitol as they protest the on-going Congress joint session that officially certifies Biden’s victory. The siege resulted in five deaths which include one police officer.

On Tuesday, Trump slammed social tech companies in a conversation with reporters, telling them that such move was “very, very bad” for the country.

“I think that Big Tech is doing a horrible thing for our country and to our country and I believe it’s going to be a catastrophic mistake for them,” Trump said.

Source: The Hill