Meta Platforms has agreed to pay $25 million to settle a lawsuit filed by Donald Trump over the suspension of his accounts on Facebook and Instagram after the January 6, 2021, US Capitol attack.¹ Trump had alleged that Meta, along with other tech giants like Twitter and Google, had unlawfully silenced conservative viewpoints.

The lawsuit, filed in July 2021, claimed that Trump's First Amendment right to free speech was violated when his accounts were suspended. Trump had also sought to overturn Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects social media companies from liability for content posted on their platforms.²

As part of the settlement, $22 million will go towards a fund for Trump's presidential library, while the remaining amount will cover legal fees and other plaintiffs' costs. Interestingly, Meta had also donated $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg had attended the inauguration.