In brief
The tech company asserts its standard procedure and explains the transition, while Trump critiques Meta's past actions.
According to recent reports, Meta, the parent company of social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, has dismissed claims that users were compelled to follow official accounts of the Trump administration members after Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday. Many users voiced their concerns, stating they were "automatically" following Trump’s account as well as those of Vice-President JD Vance and First Lady Melania Trump.Meta spokesperson Andy Stone clarified that the accounts are managed by the White House, which updated the profiles to reflect the new officeholders. “This is the same procedure we followed during the last presidential transition,” he stated. The accounts carry standard handles such as Potus for the president, VicePresident for the vice president, and Flotus for the first lady. Archived versions of these profiles show the Potus and Flotus accounts displaying the previous presidential couple’s identities, Joe Biden and Jill Biden. Stone indicated that any follow or unfollow requests may experience delays as the accounts transition to new administrators.Following his second inauguration, Trump wasted no time in issuing various executive orders, marking his intent to pursue a robust political agenda, which included withdrawing from the World Health Organization and declaring a national emergency at the southern US border. Notably, Trump's inauguration gathered several prominent tech figures, including Meta's Mark Zuckerberg and X's Elon Musk.Trump, who has historically criticized Meta after the company suspended him in 2021 due to his comments regarding the January 6 riots at the US Capitol, has lately directed accusations at the company regarding perceived biases against his administration. Zuckerberg has expressed regret over the banning decision and previous decisions associated with Trump's online presence.In his recent autobiography, Trump stated a dire warning for Zuckerberg, implying severe consequences if the Facebook CEO interfered in the upcoming presidential election. Nonetheless, since Trump’s election win in November, there have been signs of rapprochement, with Zuckerberg dining with Trump and contributing financially to his inauguration.Moreover, Meta has announced a shift away from third-party fact-checking, adopting an approach reminiscent of X's community notes system, indicating an effort to appease criticisms from Trump and reestablish its commitment to free expression as perceived by its users.
