‘We aren’t in China’ — Ben Carson hits social media companies over ban on Trump

Ben Carson, secretary of department of housing and urban development in US, has criticised social media companies for placing a ban on accounts belonging to US President Donald Trump.

Following the invasion of Capitol Hill by Trump supporters when congress was certifying the victory of President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday, social media companies like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat initially suspended Trump from their platforms.

Facebook, Instagram and Twitter later announced “permanent suspension” of the president, citing incitement of violence.

Reacting in a series of tweets on Saturday, Carson said social media companies are “silencing a significant number of voters and erasing history is no way to unite us; it only further divides”, noting that “speech should be free whether you agree or not”.

He said deleting Trump’s accounts, “which represents the highlights this admin & its history is wrong”.

“You want to ban @realDonaldTrump, fine you’re a private company, but @Twitter deleting the President’s account which highlights this admin & its history is wrong,” he wrote.

“@Facebook & @instagram banning all images from the Capitol riot is a dangerous precedent to set. We aren’t in China.”