CREW requests records on Meta’s “No Kings” suspension
On October 17, during a national No Kings mobilization, Meta suspended the @nokingscoalition Instagram account for roughly 90 minutes, raising significant free speech and corporate censorship concerns. CREW requested records on an expedited basis from the Department of Homeland Security seeking communications and internal records concerning Meta and No Kings.
No Kings is a pro-democracy coalition that has a broad reach with over 300 partner organizations, and which has engaged millions of individuals. During and after the suspension, No Kings account administrators were reportedly blocked from the account for hours, depriving the coalition of a communication and organizing platform at a critical moment. DHS and other parts of the Trump administration have attempted to pressure Meta and other companies to support its suppression and targeting efforts. The public needs to know what communications the agency has had with Meta regarding the apparent suppression of the No Kings accounts on its platforms.
Meta apologized and said that the account was suspended in error as a result of “automated” activity. However, this is not the first time Meta has suspended accounts of critics of the Trump administration; according to Popular Information, it also suppressed accounts related to Brazilian President Lula and Albanian protestors who opposed a planned development by Jared Kushner. Additionally, the company has confirmed that it removed at least one account at the request of the Trump administration—a Facebook page called “ICE Sighting-Chicagoland,” which reportedly violated Facebook policy. The public has an interest in what communications Meta had with the administration around No Kings activity this past weekend that the Trump administration has routinely attacked.
No Kings is focused on encouraging participation in the 2026 midterm elections and ensuring that the elections are carried out in accordance with the law. The coalition’s nonpartisan work implicates core rights, including the freedom of speech and the right to vote, raising the stakes of the suspension and CREW’s request for records.
Americans need answers about whether the Trump administration was involved in the suspension of the No Kings account, given the pattern of Meta’s attempts to curry favor with the administration and past “errors” made by the company.