Facebook Would Track Threatening Users Through its Social Network.
The platform would use its web services to locate and monitor hostile people. It would also hold a blacklist of dismissed employees and vindictive users.
An umpteenth scandal is tarnishing the image of Facebook even more. Former security agents say the company has a blacklist and the most threatening would be geolocated and monitored through the Facebook web services. It is the CNBC news channel that is revealing this practice Friday. More than a dozen witnesses confirmed the case.
A secret file
Facebook has since 2008 a list of hundreds people which is updated about once a week. They are recorded in their name, photo, residence’s place and the reasons for their presence in this file.
There are users who publicly threaten the company, its offices, or its employees, including posting comments in response to Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg's Facebook post. There are also those who try to enter in the offices or send insulting emails.
Another targeted category is former Facebook employees and subcontractors, whose colleagues have asked to add them. Some stole equipment from the company. But in many cases, there would be no reason advanced. All those who were fired would end up on the list. Some partner entrepreneurs who react badly to stopping a contract would also be listed. Most people do not know they are there. What ends in tricky situations while hiring interview where applicants find out that they cannot enter because they are “persona non grata”. In short, there would be no charter to determine clear criteria leading to the blacklisting of someone. Decisions would be made on a case-by-case basis. This is disputed by a Facebook spokesman who told CNBC that a "rigorous review" was being conducted in each case. LOL ^^
Tracked thanks to the social network
Facebook can track people's location by using location data from their smartphone that is collected via the mobile app or by relying on their IP address connected to the website. Only individuals who utter credible threats would be subject to this special procedure. A kind of global " inquiry and security" center at Facebook would then send a special request to the IT team that would provide the information. When a person is near the offices, agents on the spot can be sent physically, unless Facebook does not alert the police.
Is the threat still serious? Not really. A group of trainees who had claimed to be teleworking and had gone camping was unmasked using the smartphone geolocation data of their members. The manager responsible for the trainees had justified their fear for their safety. However, the procedure did not stop there since the couriers of each were then inspected to prove the lie.
Other former employees argue that these security measures are justified by the scope of Facebook and the passions it can inspire. The campus is regularly subject to false bomb alerts by malicious people. The company has 2.7 billion users on all its services. This means that if only 0.01% of users emit a threat, Facebook would still face 270,000 potential security risks, according to CNBC. But the means used seem largely disproportionate. And in total violation of the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). It remains to be seen if Facebook is also engaged in such practices in Europe of course...
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