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.

Gavin Newsom’s Former Chief of Staff Pleads Guilty to 3 Federal Charges, Faces 38 Years in Prison

McMaster revives Trump-backed push to oust Biden kingmaker from Congress

Fox News Crew Snared by China’s Massive Surveillance System While Covering Trump Visit: ‘They See Everything’

China cozies up as Trump touts delegation of richest business heavyweights at Xi summit

Cuba says CIA chief Ratcliffe met with officials in Havana amid US tensions

Video: ‘CBS Evening News’ Broadcast Ends in Disarray as Crew Member Suffers ‘Medical Emergency’

Supreme Court keeps broader access to abortion pill mifepristone in place while legal fight continues

Britney Spears Reportedly Seen Barking and Screaming During Knife-Wielding Spectacle at Restaurant

Former Kansas mayor who pleaded guilty to illegal voting turns himself in to ICE

DHS rails against illegal aliens hit with capital murder charges for allegedly killing unborn baby: ‘monsters’

Watch: Obama Left Embarrassed as Video Shows Pitiful Welcome He Got in China vs Majestic Welcome Trump Just Got

Bill Cassidy bets on anti-abortion policy to save reelection bid

Insanity: Ex-BLMer and Special Ed Teacher on Leave Over Abuse Allegations Just Elected President of Teachers Union

Jordan grills Soros-backed DA Descano in heated spat over soft-on-crime policy: ‘This is almost laughable’

Wisconsin official cries foul alleging FBI showed up at front door of county election director’s home

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.