Meta denied forcing users to follow the Trump administration’s accounts

Meta, the company that owns social media networks Facebook and Instagram, has denied forcing users to follow the official accounts of senior officials in the new Trump administration.

Some forum users have complained that they were “automatically” followed the new president, as well as Vice President JD Vance and First Lady Melania Trump, after Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday.

Meta spokesman Andy Stone explained that the accounts are managed by the White House, which has been updated to reflect the new site owners.

“It is the same procedure we followed during the last presidential transition,” he wrote in a statement.

The bills bear the handles of POTUS — meaning “President of the United States” — as well as Vice President and FLOTUS, an acronym for First Lady.

In archived versions of the pages, the POTUS and FLOTUS accounts previously carried the names and official portraits of Joe Biden and Jill Biden.

“As these accounts change hands, it may take some time to track and follow up on inquiries,” Mr Stone added.

Trump became US president for a second term on Monday and quickly began issuing a series of executive orders and directives to further his political agenda. Exit from the World Health Organization to declare a national emergency on the border with Mexico.

They attended the inauguration Some of the most influential tech billionairesIncluding Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg and X CEO Elon Musk, who have advisory roles in the new administration.

Trump has previously criticized META, which he banned as a “glorification of those involved in violence” during the 2021 riots at the US Capitol.

The president and his allies also accused the company of colluding with the Biden administration to suppress reports about Biden’s son Hunter and some content surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic. Mr. Zuckerberg He said he regretted his decision..

In August, Trump wrote in a book that Zuckerberg would spend the rest of his life in prison if he tried to interfere in the 2024 presidential election.

After Trump won the election in early November, Mr. Zuckerberg seemed to favor him. Dining with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence At the end of the month and Donating 1 million dollars (£786,000) to the inauguration After a few weeks.

Metta also said earlier this month that it would end third-party fact-checking in favor of an approach similar to the X Community Notes in an apparent attempt to address some of Trump’s criticism.

The company says this marks a return to its “fundamental commitment to freedom of expression”.