Robert F. Kennedy Jr is unbanned from Instagram.
The outspoken vaccine activist and nephew of the late John F. Kennedy recently got his Instagram account back following his announcement of his bid as the president of the United States.
Kennedy got banned from the social media platform after sharing debunked information about COVID-19 and its vaccines, per CNN.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. officially announces his candidacy for President on April 19, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Unbanning Details
Meta spokesperson Andy Stone mentioned in a statement to the Washington Post that it had reinstated Kenndy's Instagram account as he is an active candidate for US president, allowing him to use his account to reach his audience better.
His Instagram account had over 760,000 followers as of the afternoon of June 4, per a Reuters report.
However, Stone stressed that while Kenendy's Instagram account is back online, Facebook and Instagram will maintain their suspensions against his organization.
The reinstatement didn't come immediately, though. It all started when Kennedy mentioned in a tweet on June 2 that his campaign team couldn't set up an Instagram account using their TeamKennedy email address to set up Instagram accounts, accusing Meta of seeking to silence him. He then accused Instagram and Meta of silencing a "major political candidate" and that doing so is "profoundly undemocratic."
"How can democracy function if only some candidates have access to [social media accounts]?" Kennedy added in his tweets.
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Meta, through Stone, would later say that the restriction was a mistake and that it quickly fixed the issue preventing Kenendy's campaign team to create the campaign Instagram account they're planning to.
Kennedy's plight may have struck a chord with Twitter CEO Elon Musk, who quickly invited him to participate in an audio discussion with him on Twitter Spaces. The presidential candidate took Musk up on his offer and is set to speak on the afternoon of June 5.
Musk's audio discussions first went on the air when he had another presidential candidate, Ron DeSantis, speak with him on Twitter Spaces on May 28.
Although Kennedy has YouTube channels associated with him that got suspended due to his actions in 2021, it is unknown if Google's parent company, Alphabet, will lift its suspension of those channels anytime soon.
What Did Kennedy Do To Get Banned From Instagram?
Social media platforms decided to ban Kennedy from their sites following his statements about COVID-19 and its vaccine. According to a CNN report, Facebook, Meta's previous name, stated it suspended Kennedy's account for repeatedly sharing debunked claims about the coronavirus or vaccines. However, it didn't stop there.
Kennedy had lobbied Congress to give parents exemptions from state requirements that require them to vaccinate their children to protect them and others from being infected with COVID-19. He also downplayed his anti-vaccine views with him saying he is in favor of safe vaccines and showing his children as examples.
An AP news report said that Kenendy stood by his posts on Instagram per the emailed statement it received from him; he called his suspension censorship, which he described as counterproductive in the pursuit of a safe and effective vaccine supply.
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