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.

Michigan Senate hopeful calls AIPAC donations ‘legalized bribery,’ remains silent on other donations

How Maine’s Democratic meltdown could shape the Senate midterms

White House considers plan to build permanent fencing around Lafayette Park

Man arrested on suspicion of murdering British politician Ann Widdecombe

Erika Kirk urges judge to clear path quickly for Tyler Robinson murder trial

Biden Immigrant Trucker from Muslim Country Reportedly Rammed, Killed College Soccer Goalie – Had to Use Translation App to Talk with Cops

Trump Tells Reporter Iran Will Pay Dearly if He is Assassinated: ‘I’ve Left Instructions’

Intel expert says Singham network is more than a nonprofit scandal—it’s a security threat

Cause of death revealed for American mother murdered in Ireland: report

NJ husband begs for CPR help in 911 call after wife found dead with stab wounds: audio

New Trump UFO file dump includes military footage of mysterious star-shaped object

Graphic: Another Muslim Activist Freaks Out, Demanding We Confine Our Dogs According to the Will of Allah

Video Emerges Showing Mitch McConnell Taken to Hospital After Cardiac Arrest – Report

Peter Navarro seeks ‘precedent for years to come’ with renewed contempt fight

Trump administration expands ‘Product of USA’ label as push for American-raised beef grows

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.