When Facebook created an independent oversight board to handle controversial content moderation issues, it hoped to remove some pressure from itself. However, in the case of banning former president Donald Trump, the board has pushed back strongly against the social media giant, urging it to reach a decision for itself.

The board announced its ruling this week, saying that it agreed with Facebook’s initial decision to ban Trump after violence unfolded at the U.S. Capitol on January 6. However, the board also said that the ban should not be indefinite — and that it was not the board’s job to write Facebook’s rules.

“In applying a vague, standardless penalty and then referring this case to the Board to resolve, Facebook seeks to avoid its responsibilities,” the board wrote. “The Board declines Facebook’s request and insists that Facebook apply and justify a defined penalty.”

“It was a bit lazy of Facebook to send over to us a penalty suggestion that didn’t exist in their own rulebook,” one board member said. “We are not here to lift responsibility off of Facebook.”

While Facebook may have wanted to punt its responsibility to this group, it’s clear that the company will actually have to step up and make some hard decisions about what is and is not allowed on its platform.

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