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.

Pro-Gun Organizations Slap Virginia With Complaint Alleging Virginia Defied Court Orders on Gun Control

Chemical Tank Disaster Victim Remains are Found

Fourth US drug boat strike in a week kills more ‘narco-terrorists’

Fight for Los Angeles mayor tightens up as Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, and Nithya Raman make final pitch

Trump flips script on left, maneuvers to use foreign influence law against the them

US military attacks Iran in ‘self-defense strikes’ over the weekend and more top headlines

Dem Mayor Offers Support to ‘Trans Period’ Event Featuring Free Undies

California GOP incumbents go to war in Trump loyalty test

Dem Gov Gets Rare Conservative Credit, Then Blows It With Embarrassing Victim Routine

Sailboat tracking shutoff could be crucial in Lynette Hooker disappearance, expert says

NYC landlord pleads for help as ‘9-year-squatter’ continues to drain him dry in court saga: ‘Twilight Zone’

One southern city you’ve never heard of is growing faster than anywhere else in America

Retiring Senate Democrats open door to anti-filibuster successors

Ex-Iowa school superintendent sentenced to prison as an illegal alien found with firearms

Elderly couple fatally stabbed inside Queens apartment, no arrests made as investigation continues: report

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.