Facebook Finally Says It Will Not Help Build Muslim Registry:
AT THE BEGINNING of December, The Intercept reported on eight major American technology firms unwilling to state on the record that they would not help the Trump administration create a national Muslim registry. Since then, 22 different advocacy groups petitioned those companies to respond —today, Facebook breaks its silence.
The following statement was issued to The Intercept by a Facebook spokesperson:
“No one has asked us to build a Muslim registry, and of course we would not do so.”
The statement comes the day after another Facebook rep accidentally emailed BuzzFeed News, dismissing the question of the Muslim registry as a “straw man.” This now makes Facebook and Twitter the only two companies willing to say they will not help build an unconstitutional, draconian list of Muslims. If any of the rest would like to join, we encourage you to do so.
Source: theintercept.com
Of Nine Tech Companies, Only Twitter Says It Would Refuse to Help Build Muslim Registry for Trump
The Intercept contacted nine of the most prominent such firms, from Facebook to Booz Allen Hamilton, to ask if they would sell their services to help create a national Muslim registry, an idea recently resurfaced by Donald Trump’s transition team. Only Twitter said no.
“LINKED OUT” ran the headline on Russian state television. The U.S.-based website LinkedIn, a social network for business professionals, is going to be blocked in Russia after a court found the company guilty of violating a law on data storage.
Roskomnadzor, Russia’s communications authority, told Interfax news agency on Thursday that the website would be blocked within 24 hours, and a number of Internet service providers appeared to have immediately begun blocking the website, according to media reports.
The block of LinkedIn, a widely-used yet sometimes bemoaned social network not known for political activity, led to surprise and mirth from some quarters. However, there were also some major concerns that the move against LinkedIn could mark a newly restrictive environment on the Russian Internet.
Source: Washington Post
How Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter Helped Police Target Black Activists
Calling it a “stroke of luck” that the BPD renewed their Geofeedia contract only days before the protests, the study reveals that law enforcement used facial recognition software to identify specific protestors from social media photos. They then matched that information to outstanding warrants and arrested protestors “directly from the crowd.”
On Wednesday night, a state of emergency was called in Charlotte, NC after two nights of unrest following the shooting of Keith Lamont Scott, 43, who was killed in an encounter with police on Tuesday afternoon. Activists and outraged social media users turned to both Facebook and Twitter to stream protests in Charlotte, voice their concerns, and mobilize through hashtags.
But they may have unknowingly opened themselves up to police surveillance. The cops have been unofficially monitoring social media for information and officially, by sending warrants and subpoenas to tech companies asking for private information about users.
Source: fusion.net
“Your passport, Facebook, and Twitter please.”
We already told you about the U.S. government’s proposal to add an “optional” field asking you to list your social media accounts every time you cross the border. And thousands of you have already told the U.S. government you think that’s a bad idea. Unfortunately, their proposal just got even worse.
We’ve seen the revised form (PDF download) Customs and Border Protection is proposing, and the “Social Media Identifier” field isn’t even marked as optional — making it mandatory for travelers entering the United States to divulge their social media accounts.
This kind of broad-strokes data collection violates fundamental privacy rights and hinders freedom of expression — and there’s no proof it would do anything to improve security. Instead, it sets a terrible example for countries around the world to start monitoring everyone’s social media at the border.
Take action now to stop the U.S. government’s expansion of social media surveillance.
Source: accessnow.org
“Your passport, Facebook, and Twitter please.”
We already told you about the U.S. government’s proposal to add an “optional” field asking you to list your social media accounts every time you cross the border. And thousands of you have already told the U.S. government you think that’s a bad idea. Unfortunately, their proposal just got even worse.
We’ve seen the revised form (PDF download) Customs and Border Protection is proposing, and the “Social Media Identifier” field isn’t even marked as optional — making it mandatory for travelers entering the United States to divulge their social media accounts.
This kind of broad-strokes data collection violates fundamental privacy rights and hinders freedom of expression — and there’s no proof it would do anything to improve security. Instead, it sets a terrible example for countries around the world to start monitoring everyone’s social media at the border.
Take action now to stop the U.S. government’s expansion of social media surveillance.
Source: accessnow.org