Meta has reached a $25 million settlement with former President Donald Trump following a lawsuit he filed in 2021, alleging wrongful censorship by Facebook and Instagram after the January 6 Capitol riot.
The Wall Street Journal reported that $22 million of the settlement will be allocated to funding Trump’s future presidential library, with the remaining amount designated for legal fees and compensation to other plaintiffs involved in the case.
In the settlement, Meta has not acknowledged any wrongdoing regarding the suspension of Trump’s accounts, which were blocked after he made comments perceived as supportive of the Capitol violence.
Meta confirmed the settlement in a statement to AFP. Although Trump has been an outspoken critic of the platform’s actions, he has recently engaged with tech leaders such as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and X owner Elon Musk.
Both figures attended Trump’s inauguration, and Zuckerberg has shown support for the former president, even making adjustments to Meta’s content policies, including lifting certain restrictions across its platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp.
Zuckerberg has emphasized the importance of restoring free speech on Meta’s platforms, announcing a rollback of fact-checking operations earlier this month.
This settlement comes as media companies brace for the potential of a second Trump presidency, with ABC News also settling a $15 million defamation case with Trump in December.
Additionally, Meta recently reported a 59% increase in its annual net income, reaching $62.36 billion.
