(THREAD) Ahead of the #60Minutes interview with the Facebook whistleblower, know this:
We contacted Facebook multiple times ahead of Jan. 6 to warn about violent rhetoric in a group with members that planned on taking matters into their own hands. snopes.com/news/2021/02/1…
We contacted Facebook multiple times ahead of Jan. 6 to warn about violent rhetoric in a group with members that planned on taking matters into their own hands. snopes.com/news/2021/02/1…
1/ Facebook did not respond to us, despite multiple attempts to reach the company for comment.
We contacted the company warning them of the violent rhetoric and organizing that we saw, and we sent our emails in the days both before and after Nov. 3, which was Election Day.
We contacted the company warning them of the violent rhetoric and organizing that we saw, and we sent our emails in the days both before and after Nov. 3, which was Election Day.
2/ The New York Times later reported that a man named Keith Lee “spent the morning of Jan. 6 casing the entrances to the Capitol.” During the riots, he carried a bullhorn. “Mr. Lee called out for the mob to rush in, until his voice echoed from the dome of the Rotunda.”
3/ This man was linked to the very same private Facebook group that we had been contacting the company about prior to the events at the Capitol on Jan. 6.
4/ In our final email to Facebook's press team in the weeks before Jan. 6, we even bolded the words "taking matters into their own hands" to try to get their attention about the potential for violence. They did not respond and have never provided answers on this subject.
5/ Facebook did not remove the private group until nearly 3 months after Jan. 6, which we documented here. Facebook removed the group in the hours after we published this story on March 30. snopes.com/news/2021/03/3…
6/ We still do not know why the company did not respond to our emails, nor is it clear why it waited nearly three months after the Capitol riot to take action on the group.
It appears that Facebook realized its mistake and removed the group way later than it would have liked.
It appears that Facebook realized its mistake and removed the group way later than it would have liked.
7/ If any reporters have questions about this entire sequence of events, please reach out to me. To find all of our stories that we published on this subject, see this Google search: google.com/search?q=alamo….
8/ I don't expect tonight's 60 Minutes report to mention any of this. However, somewhere inside Facebook are people who decided not to respond to our dire warnings about users talking about crossing state lines to commit potentially violent acts.
9/ Almost forgot. Important detail: "According to NYT, Lee was involved in organizing the caravan and blockade of the Biden-Harris campaign bus in Texas. The newspaper also reported that Lee helped to fund 'dozens of caravans to meet at the Jan. 6 rally.'" snopes.com/news/2021/02/1…
10/ I believe @MaddowBlog / @maddow mentioned the Biden/Harris bus incident in recent days in relation to other recent political violence in Travis County, Texas. I get the feeling they might be interested in knowing about the story in this thread.
11/ Also, a note: The last time we asked Facebook's press team about this whole matter was Aug. 17. Again, they did not respond to our questions.
12/ For further reading from my reporting on the Capitol riot, there's also this story: snopes.com/news/2021/08/2…
13/ More reading about Facebook, if interested, this time on the subject of COVID-19. This recent investigation studied activity that appears to still be happening today inside private Facebook groups. snopes.com/news/2021/09/2…
14/ While Facebook is a key focus of these stories, let's not forget what's happening on other platforms. We filed this report on Friday. snopes.com/news/2021/10/0…
15/ If you would like to contribute to these kinds of investigations, see here: snopes.com/sos/
16/ The 60 Minutes segment is up. cbsnews.com/news/facebook-…
17/ According to 60 Minutes, "Frances Haugen plans to testify before Congress this week."
I would be lying if I told you I didn't hope that the politicians who will be at that hearing see our reporting from earlier in this thread. Seems like it might be helpful.
I would be lying if I told you I didn't hope that the politicians who will be at that hearing see our reporting from earlier in this thread. Seems like it might be helpful.
18/ Thanks to everyone who followed and shared the thread. Have a good night.
19/ Another note. In regard to tweet #14, the same foreign disinfo network is also present on Facebook. We reported on the YouTube aspect on Friday, but reported the FB part of it in August.
The FB disinfo network is still there in October. snopes.com/news/2021/08/2…
The FB disinfo network is still there in October. snopes.com/news/2021/08/2…
20/ Read the story in tweet #19 or visit pages and accounts in the FB network for yourself:
- facebook.com/top1newsusa/
- facebook.com/Jerryspringers…
- facebook.com/Newstodaytrump/
Again, we first reported about this in August. And now it's October. And some of it is still available.
- facebook.com/top1newsusa/
- facebook.com/Jerryspringers…
- facebook.com/Newstodaytrump/
Again, we first reported about this in August. And now it's October. And some of it is still available.
21/ New update on the YouTube story from tweet #14 above. The verified and unofficial "Fox News" channels have been removed. They had millions of subscribers and likely tens of millions of video views.
Here's what they were doing to alter Fox News videos. snopes.com/news/2021/10/0…
Here's what they were doing to alter Fox News videos. snopes.com/news/2021/10/0…
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