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.

Toddler declared dead after near-drowning was found alive in hospital morgue hours later, police say

Michigan Democrat Mallory McMorrow drops out of Senate race weeks before primary

NYPD detective, children shot in separate Brooklyn shootings over holiday weekend

Iranians call for Trump’s death at funeral for assassinated ayatollah: ‘Seek revenge’

Trump shares news of ‘crystal clear’ Reflecting Pool, calls for vandalism suspect’s arrest

Bill Clinton blasts Trump as Americans mark nation’s 250th anniversary

Watch: UK Police Do It Again, Attack White Kid for Crime of Being Slammed on Ground by Black Kid

Watch a Gun-Range Officer Halt Some Hollywood Antics on the Spot

Here Are The Voters Backing Democratic Socialists

California Man Pleads Guilty to Harassing Guthrie Family With Fake Ransom Notes

Newsom blames Trump for DOJ probe, but reports say investigation predates his administration

Samuel Alito Warns Mail-In-Ballot Ruling Leaves Giant Opening For Voter Fraud

‘He Came And Stab Me’: Food Truck Pirates Turn National Mall Into A Lawless Mess

Dem Equality: After Telling New Yorkers to Keep Temps at 78, Mamdani’s City Hall Enjoys 54 Degrees in Places

Navy suspends search for sailor who went missing when helicopter went down in Arabian Sea

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.