Meta Clarifies on Forcing Users to Follow President Trump on Facebook and Instagram
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has responded to allegations that users were automatically made to follow President Donald Trump's official accounts following the recent transition of power from Joe Biden's administration. Social media platforms have faced backlash from users who noticed content from the new administration appearing on their feeds, sparking claims that they were unwillingly subscribed to these accounts.
In an official statement, Meta denied these allegations, emphasizing that the changes were part of standard procedures executed during a presidential transition. According to Meta spokesperson Andy Stone, “People were not made to automatically follow any of the official Facebook or Instagram accounts for the President, Vice President, or First Lady. Those accounts are managed by the White House, so with a new administration, the content on those Pages changes.”
Stone clarified that the process is consistent with previous transitions and highlighted the possibility of delays in processing follow-up and unfollowing requests as the accounts change hands. This explanation aimed to address the concerns raised by users who felt their actions to unfollow were not being registered.
Nkechi Nneji, Meta's public affairs director, added that users may not recall following these official White House accounts during prior administrations, leading to the confusion. She reiterated, “Meta doesn’t make anyone follow any account and we never have.”
User Reactions
The backlash began shortly after the official POTUS account transitioned to reflect the new administration. Posts from President Trump's official account started appearing on users’ feeds, leading to widespread criticism on social media.
One user exclaimed, “Automatically making everyone follow him... WTF,” while another remarked, “How am I automatically following... Mark! What do you have going on?” Others reported that their attempts to unfollow the account were overridden, prompting one frustrated user to consider blocking the account entirely as a solution.
Ongoing Challenges for Meta
In addition to the controversy surrounding the POTUS account transition, Meta acknowledged an unrelated issue on Instagram. The platform temporarily blocked searches for political terms like “Democrats” and “Republicans,” which further fueled dissatisfaction among users. Meta assured the public that it is actively working to resolve these issues.
Meta’s Connection to the New Administration
The controversy has drawn additional scrutiny due to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's presence at President Trump’s inauguration ceremony and the company’s $1 million donation to Trump’s inaugural fund. Critics have raised questions about potential favoritism, especially given Trump’s prior public threats against technology leaders during the 2024 election cycle.
This development follows a heated political season in which President Trump accused tech executives, including Zuckerberg, of meddling in elections. Trump went so far as to suggest that Zuckerberg should “spend the rest of his life in prison” if interference occurred.
Conclusion
Meta’s response seeks to quell the backlash by clarifying its policies and reaffirming that users retain control over their social media preferences. However, the backlash underscores the heightened sensitivity surrounding political transitions and the role of technology companies in public discourse. As Meta addresses these concerns, whether the explanations and remedial actions will satisfy users who demand greater transparency and autonomy on these platforms remains to be seen.
Refrence From: www.ndtv.com