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NEW FROM ME: Sudanese women are doxing state security forces in private Facebook groups initially set up to creep on their crushes. They're basically the unofficial intelligence apparatus of the country. buzzfeednews.com/article/tamerr…
The details in the FB groups are so specific, down to the color of someone's door. Once the security officers' identities have been exposed, they are sometimes bombarded in their own homes by neighbors, beaten up, and cursed out.
Sudan's morality laws make it difficult for women to socialize in public, which makes the Facebook groups even more crucial; it's the primary way women can safely communicate. At first the conversations were about men they were interested in...
Someone would post a photo of a guy, and others in the group would comment with his alma mater, names of friends, whether he's available. But then the protests started, and the groups shifted focus: To outing security officers abusing demonstrators.
The groups are huge, sometimes with hundreds of thousands of members, which means the likelihood of someone recognizing the face of a female officer who made one woman drink vinegar (I'm serious) after she was arrested is...very high.
And a *huge* thank you to @Emythat for translating the screenshots in the story! I wouldn't have been able to write about the rich details in those Facebook group convos without her.
Oh, and by the way: This is all happening during a social media shutdown in Sudan. The government has blocked access to Facebook, WhatsApp, and Twitter since Dec. 20.
