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.

SPLC kept paying Aryan Nations operatives after bragging about bankrupting them

Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is running for mayor of St. Pete

AI boom tests GOP’s midterm affordability pitch as price pain spreads

WHCA shooting exposes concerns over succession security, number of ‘celebrity’ Cabinet officials at big events

Congress responds to WHCA attack with five separate bills to build Trump’s ballroom

Jasmine Crockett’s social media posts about WHCD shooting show different tones

Mentalist Oz Pearlman to skip Kimmel appearance after Trump dinner shooting

Wisconsin teacher placed on leave after social media post advocating to ‘make Americans great assassins again’

Mamdani and King Charles to attend 9/11 ceremony in New York City: What to know

After Karoline Leavitt Calls Out Dems for Their Vile Anti-Trump Rhetoric, GOP Brings the Receipts

Newsom’s wife lashes out at Trump after he rips ’60 Minutes’ host: ‘Internalized misogyny’

Mamdani’s education plan’s ‘lack of merit’ could fundamentally change student outcomes: GOP leader warns

‘Hell Week’ in Washington: A look at House Republicans’ current bind, and how we got here

DOJ Moves Against White House Ballroom Lawsuit in Wake of Shooting: ‘Enough Is Enough’

Pastor known for marriage advice arrested at rumored swingers community accused of having multiple wives

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.