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.

Abortion pill fight heads to Supreme Court as manufacturer warns of ‘chaos’ after ruling

Trump Talks ‘Taking Over’ Cuba ‘Almost Immediately… on the Way Back from Iran’

Bad Timing: California Gov. Gavin Newsom Ratchets Up Feud With Joe Rogan as Republicans Lead the Field to Replace Him

1 dead after car slams into lavish Portland social club with possible explosives, FBI investigating

Eric Swalwell, Man Who Quit Congress In Part Due to Improper Contact With Staffers on Snapchat, Still Contacting Staffers on Snapchat

Missing man’s body found in abandoned cemetery crypt in case tied to biker gang

Trump administration to close Potomac golf course for championship-level renovations

After Spirit Airlines Goes Bust, Remember How Biden, Warren Stopped Merger to Save Airline Because It’d Mean ‘Fewer Flights’

Trump troop cuts in Europe could be blocked by Congress — here’s how he might get around it

Communist and socialist groups call for ‘revolution’ and seizure of property at Minneapolis May Day rally

Female Accused Would-Be Trump Assassin Walks Free Days After Third Assassination Attempt

Trump Greenlights ‘Keystone Light’ Pipeline to Help Replace Oil Source Infamously Blocked on Biden’s Day 1

ICE lines up to boot illegal immigrant child sex predator after bogus asylum claim, early prison release

Power the future sends letter to lawmakers over data

Beloved crossing guard killed by alleged drunk driver while helping kids cross the street in Louisiana

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.