Facebook removes ICE-tracking page after US Government 'outreach'

https://www.theverge.com/policy/799473/facebook-meta-ice-jawboning

by ceejayoz • 9 months ago

68 33 9 months ago

theverge.com

ceejayoz4• 9 months ago

One presumes the folks covering the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter_Files will be deeply concerned with this.

phendrenad23• 9 months ago

And hopefully the people who think that was a good thing will think the same about this.

ajross2• 9 months ago

No one (at least no one of note) ever claimed that government coercion of social media was a "good thing". The controversy around the "Twitter Files" was (and remains) whether any such coercion[1] actually happened. Do remember the smoking gun request for a takedown turned out to have been penis photos.

But for the record, since consistent propriety is the subject of the subthread: as a left-leaning liberal, I hereby declare that I think coercing Twitter to remove content for political reasons is equally as bad as doing the same to Facebook.

[1] Not least because the entity doing the coercing was not the government, which was run by Biden's opponent.

Wowfunhappy• 9 months ago

And the reverse!

For what's worth, I've actually changed my mind about this. I was originally fine with the government encouraging Twitter to take down pandemic related stuff, but after seeing what Trump has done... well, in hindsight, I think the Biden administration should have stayed out of Twitter moderation, just as the Trump administration should stay out of Facebook moderation.

I still think there is a difference in severity between what Biden did and what Trump is doing, but that's beside the point. The current administration has really demonstrated for me why free speech is so important. We should not compromise on that principle, even when it seems logical in the short term.

Pxtl4• 9 months ago

The government takedown requests that happened during the COVID pandemic peak were the government flagging disinformation and lies.

This is the a government flagging truths that they dislike.

Also, there's a big difference when one government has a proven track-record of abusing its power to punish dissenting media. AFAIK, the Biden admin never threatened to block mergers and similar business deals over speech they disliked. Yes, government requests always have the color of authority, but I don't know of any cases where there was any even implied threat behind it.

Well, other than the possibility of legislation that would make an official legal requirement of "no, you do have a responsibility to police your platform of disinfo where constitutionally legal (eg if it's foreign-government-funded propaganda)".

But an act of congress to elevate an policy into law if self-policing doesn't work is very different from abusing executive powers to punish people without any involvement normal due process of law.

https://x.com/dril/status/473265809079693312?lang=en

chris_wot3• 9 months ago

One day, I hope these ICE agents become accountable for the sheer misery they have caused.

next_xibalba3• 9 months ago

If we decide that we should selectively enforce laws, who should make that decision?

chris_wot3• 9 months ago

Who says they are enforcing laws? A lot of their activity looks to be illegal.

ceejayoz4• 9 months ago

We have always enforced laws selectively. Cops can let you off with a warning or ignore you going five miles an hour over the limit. Prosecutors decline to prosecute. Marijuana dispensaries are everywhere.

Which ones we pick to be super hardline about says much about us.

Pxtl4• 9 months ago

ICE agents are breaking numerous laws so you're already selectively enforcing them.

burnt-resistor2• 9 months ago

That previously existed with systemic bias of LEOs and judges, and jury nullification, but now it's there's an additional layer of lawless, unilateral, executive plenary usurpation. Oh and incremental gerrymandering stealing votes and absurd purchasing of political favors.

burnt-resistor2• 9 months ago

Hague tribunal. They should be sanctioned too.

jMyles• 9 months ago

...crazy.

No platform can be considered a useful and valid source of info if data about power structures is rendered unavailable as a routine matter.

The entire value prop of the internet as a human endeavor is in the "inter" part - connecting networks without regard to orthodox boundaries or power structures. An internet that yields to legacy state censorship is just a net.

I really need to take some time get into mastadon or lens or bluesky or whatever.

Pxtl4• 9 months ago

Bluesky is very easy to get into, although it's basically just "Twitter without as many Nazis" right now - its federation capabilities are barely used. Its starter-packs and algorithmic feeds are very good at quickly onboarding you.

Mastodon/Fediverse, on the other hand, is truly grassroots and federated instead of being a VC-funded cathedral, but it's just not nearly as successful and the usability barriers are higher.

fullshark• 9 months ago

I thought the value prop was that I could make a shitload of money off it?

cozzyd• 9 months ago

It's unfortunate I can only delete my Facebook account (which I'd had since 2005) once.

wtfwhateven• 9 months ago

Not surprised

“I believe the government pressure was wrong and I regret that we were not more outspoken about it,”

"I also think we made some choices that, with the benefit of hindsight and new information, we wouldn’t make today,” he said, without elaborating. “We’re ready to push back if something like this happens again.”

were lies https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/zuckerberg-says-the-wh...

jimbo808• 9 months ago

The guy's entire career was founded on screwing over and lying to multiple business partners. He's such a fraud that they made a whole movie about it. Why would anyone trust this guy?

quantified• 9 months ago

And he said anyone who trusts him is a schmuck. I'm paraphrasing.

akmarinov• 9 months ago

If the ICE apps do a PWA will the US government go after hosting providers?

general1465• 9 months ago

If it is hosted outside USA, then it might be much harder than expected.

archagon• 9 months ago

Inbound “foreign agent” laws like in Russia.

Facebook removes ICE-tracking page after US Government 'outreach'

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