Does banning Trump really make social media safer?

In the wake of the deadly attack on Congress last week, social media companies have taken major steps to root out activity on their platforms that promotes violent extremism.

The most dramatic actions were aimed at President Trump. On Thursday, Facebook banned him from posting until at least the end of his term. The next day, Twitter permanently suspended Trump’s account after he tweeted messages that the company said were “likely to inspire others to replicate the violent acts” at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Prior to the bans,...