Daily Beast Says Facebook Helped Them Dox Trump Supporter

The Daily Beast recently doxed a black forklift driver and reported Trump supporter for the alleged high crime of creating a parody video of Democrat speaker of the house Nancy Pelosi. But there’s more to the story — it appears Facebook may have helped the left-wing journalists identify him.

The Daily Beast identified the video creator as Shawn Brooks, whom they described as a forklift driver and Trump supporter from the Bronx.

A Twitter account claiming to be Brooks disputed key details of the story, claiming he is not a Trump supporter, did not create the parody video, and does not live in the Bronx.

By doxing Brooks, The Daily Beast followed the example of CNN, which threatened to unmask an anonymous Trump supporter over a parody video, forcing to him apologize in exchange for not revealing his identity. The scandal caused “CNNBlackmail” to trend on Twitter.

But there’s another aspect to the Daily Beast story which has major implications for the privacy of Facebook users — according to the Daily Beast reporter himself, Facebook gave him information on Brooks’ activity on the platform.

Shapiro responds to illegal immigrant trucker fiasco – says driver was in fed database first

Trump labels 6 Democrats who told troops to refuse unlawful orders ‘traitors’ who should be arrested

Another One: Man Accused of Setting Woman on Fire on Chicago Train Has 49 Previous Arrests, 10 Felonies

Shock Video: Adult Inexplicably Orders Child, 9, to Move Car – Neighbor’s Cam Caught Chaos That Followed

Biden’s Legacy: Illegal Driving 18-Wheeler Allegedly Killed National Guardsman, 23, in Another Needless Wreck

Holiday crime fears grow as ‘jugging’ thieves target shoppers carrying cash and gifts: ‘Only a matter of time’

It Was an Invasion – Huge Swaths of Students Missing From Classrooms as ICE Begins Enforcing Law in Charlotte, NC

Republicans facing ‘worst-case scenario’ in redistricting war as midterm elections near

Democrat indicted for alleged theft of disaster relief funds and more top headlines

Trump secures release of American trapped in Saudi Arabia for years over online posts

Texas father dies in accidental shooting on hunting trip, daughter says family is ‘heartbroken’

Federal judge allows Texas AG to challenge Harris County bail reforms: ‘Unleashing criminals’

Appeals court blocks order limiting immigration agents’ use of force in Chicago

Wealthy California town bans pickleball over noise complaints from paddles hitting balls

Senators warn of ‘fragile’ US air system after 43-day shutdown

Via the Daily Beast:

It’s conceivable that someone else actually edited the clip. But a Facebook official, confirming a Daily Beast investigation, said the video was first posted on Politics WatchDog directly from Brooks’ personal Facebook account. [emphasis ours]

If the Daily Beast’s description of Facebook’s actions is accurate, Facebook compromised the privacy of one of its users, handing over information on his activity to a journalist who was clearly engaged in a politically motivated hatchet-job.

Facebook has been rocked by repeated privacy scandals over the past two years, including giving major corporations access to user data without permission. CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently unveiled a re-branding effort emphasizing the company’s commitment to protecting the privacy of its users.

“I believe that the future is private,” Zuckerberg said at a recent Facebook conference.

Even left-wing feminist Caroline Orr, who described the Pelosi parody as “disgusting” (it’s simply a video of Pelosi slowed down to make her words appear slurred), expressed shock at the idea of Facebook handing over private information about its users.