Thread by @NameRedacted247

1. 🧵Why has Meta hired more than 160 individuals from the US Intelligence Community since 2018?

Is the Global Engagement Center (GEC) directly providing funding to Meta? Is this a modern-day version of Operation Mockingbird?

CIA-14
FBI-26
NSA-16
DHS-29
State Dept-32
DOD-49… https://t.co/3lORuE1ceP https://t.co/bVUJLiM2Ertwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

https://twitter.com/NameRedacted247/status/1604641866342756352

2. GEC was established in the 2017 NDAA. Its primary objective was not only to identify misinformation and disinformation targeted at the US and its allies but also to develop and distribute "fact-based" narratives to counter propaganda.
GEC was granted the authority to provide… https://t.co/g1HA40STZ6 https://t.co/VCjCYj2tYjtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

https://twitter.com/america1stlegal/status/1683545499670913024

3. Aaron Berman possesses an extensive background at the CIA, spanning two decades, before joining Meta in July 2019. He built the Misinformation Policy team & wrote content policies, overseeing censorship during the 2020 US Election & COVID-19.

Notably, he collaborated with… https://t.co/DcuSRm6Rl0 https://t.co/Nhuq7uXgDztwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

https://twitter.com/nameredacted247/status/1685797053413126145

4. Kristopher Rose spent a decade between the CIA & ODNI before joining Meta in March 2020.

During his time at ODNI, Rose collaborated with CIA's Aaron Berman in composing the Presidential Daily Brief (PDB) for President Trump.

After leaving the ODNI, Rose became a member of… https://t.co/7eOEutoBSltwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

5. Michael Marando: After 8 years at DOJ, including service for the Mueller special counsel, he joined Meta in 2020, assuming the role of Director of Content Policy, working alongside Aaron Berman. Among his accomplishments, Marando proudly highlights his involvement in… https://t.co/Gq90X4rcQotwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

6. Mike Torrey is a Threat Intelligence professional at Meta. Before joining Meta in 2018, Mike dedicated 3 years to the NSA and 9 years to the CIA.

While at Meta, he played a key role in co-authoring a report on "The State of Influence Operations 2017-2020 in response to… https://t.co/Jb62Z1qO3Mtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

7. Mike Torrey is currently spearheading the recruitment efforts for the Influence Operations investigations team at Meta.

For those interested in joining the Meta Influence Operations department, a minimum of 3 years of work experience in Government, Intelligence Organization,… https://t.co/yox5WIQssUtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

8. Ben Nimmo & Nathaniel Gleicher were co-authors of “The State of Influence Operations 2017-2018” alongside Mike Torrey.

Ben Nimmo currently serves as the Global Threat Intel Lead at Meta, in addition to being the Co-Founder of Atlantic Council's DFRLab and a former Head of… https://t.co/7RoHfbpg8W https://t.co/68lncre0jftwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

https://twitter.com/mikebenzcyber/status/1678453635469172737

9. David Agranovich, who assumed the role of Director Global Threat Disruption at Meta in 2018, is another co-author "The State of Influence Operations 2017-2020."

Before his tenure at Meta, David had an impressive background:

World Economic Forum- 2016-2021: Served as "Global… https://t.co/dGvalItTkotwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

10. Shawn Turskey joined Meta in 2022 as part of the Integrity Investigations & Intelligence team, all the while holding a concurrent role as an Advisory Council Member at the Atlantic Council since February 2023. His impressive resume includes significant experiences:

From 1987… https://t.co/0XsytRS1Rmtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

11. Susan M. joined Meta in 2018 as a Threat Intelligence Program Manager. Before joining Meta, she held significant roles in FBI & CIA:

FBI: 1996 to 2007 (11 years), she served as a Special Agent, focusing on terrorism and counterintelligence. By the end of 2007, she assumed… https://t.co/XT4mVBj78ztwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

12. Deborah Berman: With an illustrious 9-year career at the CIA, she recently made her transition to Meta's Trust & Safety department in 2022.

In a LinkedIn post announcing her departure from the CIA, she receives an unusual “welcome to the other side” reply from Anna Hadzic,… https://t.co/oNIDPE3Zf7twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

13. Maddison Lucier: Prior to joining Meta in 2021 in the Trust & Safety department as a Risk Assessment Investigator, Maddison served 7 years with CIA, followed by 4 years at the State Department as a Foreign Service Officer in Tunisia.

https://t.co/ZR56Khl3hWlinkedin.com/in/maddison-lu…

14. Scott Stern, who served as Chief of Targeting for the CIA for 7 and a half years, joined Meta in 2020 as Senior Manager of Trust & Safety.

In his current role, he is responsible for developing AI/ML algorithms that address issues related to fraud & scams, advertiser & brand… https://t.co/AIvwBqbuQGtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

15. Jeff Lazarus joined Meta's Trust & Safety team in 2022, following an impressive career path:

CIA: Served for 5 years
Google: Worked for 4 years as a Senior Policy Advisor in Trust & Safety
Apple: Spent 1 year as a Senior Trust & Safety Advisor
https://t.co/43Vpcba2Vrlinkedin.com/in/jeff-lazaru…

16. Jonathan Lee joined WhatsApp in 2019, initially serving as a Director of Global Public Policy. Since 2022, he has taken on the role of Head of Global Public Policy, alongside Courtney Cooper as Director. Before his tenure at WhatsApp, Jonathan held significant positions in… https://t.co/6jtIZWbLXUtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

17. Courtney Cooper: Since 2022, she has held the esteemed position of Director of Global Public Policy for WhatsApp.

Her impressive qualifications include:
2007-08: Booz Allen Hamilton
2008-2015: CIA (7 years)
2015-2017: National Security Council White House- Director for… https://t.co/MlBVkO3pVFtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

18. David Martinez: A valuable addition to Meta since 2018, he currently serves as the Head of Latin America Strategic Response Policy.

David's qualifications are nothing short of impressive:

2008: Booz Allen Hamilton (1 year)
2010-2018: State Department, including 2 years as a… https://t.co/iIM7az2wWktwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

19. Joseph Schadler, after a remarkable 24-year career at the FBI, he made the move to WhatsApp in 2022, assuming the role of Trust & Safety Manager https://t.co/3s77mH9pZXlinkedin.com/in/josephschad…

20. Aleah Houze joined Meta in 2020 as a Product Policy Manager in Trust & Safety, collaborating with Aaron Berman on matters related to "politics & elections."

Prior to her role at Meta, she dedicated 7 years of service at the NSA as a Liaison Officer to the UK and served as a… https://t.co/HtrXEOAuE9twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

21. Sadaf Khan joined Meta in 2019, where she plays a vital role in Content Policy in Trust & Safety. Concurrently, she is a "team member" at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Before her tenure at Meta, Sadaf served as a Democrat Staff Director for 11 years. During this time,… https://t.co/jfXp2N3Cmltwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

22. Mike Bradow joined Meta in 2020 as Head of Fact-Checking Policy. He works alongside Aaron Berman to tackle misinformation.

What are Mike’s qualifications for this position?

Mike spent 10 years at @USAID as Deputy Director in the Office of Policy.… https://t.co/t2n2n5YSFX https://t.co/GehXTTGDlq https://t.co/wochFvWjqrlinkedin.com/in/mikebradow/
twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

https://twitter.com/repmattgaetz/status/1686416998685708289

23. Blake P. joined Meta in 2022 as Public Policy Manager in Content Regulation.

Her qualifications are working 12 years at the State Department, where her last role was as Internet Policy Advisor and Director for Digital Freedom https://t.co/gB7ULqkXR7linkedin.com/in/blake-p-216…

24. Jennifer A. joined Meta in 2019 and currently holds the position of Global Security Analysis Program Lead. Before joining Meta, she gained valuable experiences in the following government roles:

6 years at the FBI
4 years as a Foreign Affairs Officer at the State Department… https://t.co/HdzaihwKRDtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

25. Sam Aronson joined Meta in 2022 as a Global Policy Manager for Content Policy.

His qualifications for this role include:

DOD- 1 year (2014-2015)- Political Military Affairs Analyst
State Department- 7 years (2015-2022)- After serving as a Special Agent for 2 years in New… https://t.co/QCJm6bYvVUtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

26. Robert Flaim joined Meta in 2020 as the Head of Strategic Programs. Before his tenure at Meta, he had a notable career path:

10 years as a JAG Corps Attorney for DOD
Subsequently, a 20-year career at the FBI https://t.co/lRTIyxlMlrlinkedin.com/in/bobbyflaim/

27. Cynthia Deitle joined Meta in 2021 as the Director Associate General Counsel.

Prior to her role at Meta, she had an illustrious 19-year career at the FBI.

As the Director, Associate General Counsel of the Civil Rights Team at Meta, Cynthia's work centers on the… https://t.co/HRA2RX0vmGtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

28. Matthew L. joined Meta in 2022. He is a Senior Trust & Safety Manager in charge of Content Policy.

Prior to joining Meta, Matthew joined Google in 2018 as Senior Policy Specialist in charge of Google Ads’ “2020 US Election Integrity efforts”

Prior to joining Google, Matthew… https://t.co/AZRfD4rcOdtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

29. Steve Goldman joined Meta in 2022, assuming the role of Acute Issue Management, Response Manager.

Before joining Meta, Steve had an extensive 26-year career at the FBI, where he served as a Special Agent in Charge in Portland. https://t.co/CCjRUMe3QDlinkedin.com/in/steve-goldm…

30. Mike D. joined Meta in 2018, assuming the role of Manager of Cyber Threat Intelligence.

Prior to joining Meta, Mike served as a Supervisory Special Agent with the FBI for 13 years. https://t.co/5e2vhGWHjelinkedin.com/in/mike-d-48b1…

31. Leo M. joined Meta in 2022 as a Threat Investigator, specializing in Dangerous Organizations.

Prior to his position at Meta, he served as a Special Agent at the FBI for 7 years and worked as an Analyst at the DOD for 4 years. https://t.co/dqFK4qbpPNlinkedin.com/in/leo-m-35956…

32. Shaarik Zafar joined Meta in 2018 in the US Public Policy department. He provides advice and counsel to cross-functional partners, driving development on issues including youth safety, hate speech, terrorism, misinformation, and political advertising.

Prior to joining Meta,… https://t.co/TnuSwnjlnItwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

33. Amanda Lewis joined Meta in 2020 as the Global Systems Manager.

Her prior experience includes 4 years at DOD as an Operations Analyst and 10 years as a Senior Analyst at DHS - https://t.co/MnCB0biqSElinkedin.com/in/amanda-lewi…

34. Mary Angroola joined Meta in 2020. She is a Senior Manager in Trust & Safety.

Prior to Meta:
DOD- 7 years (2010-2017)- Risk Mitigation
Lockheed Martin – 3 years (2017-2020) https://t.co/80kFyBEqLylinkedin.com/in/mary-angroo…

35. Rob Abrams joined Meta in 2019 after 16 years at DHS. He is the Head Law Enforcement Outreach for SE Asia & works in Singapore.

Notable job duties at Meta include:
“Consults with governments to shape novel legislation affecting their relationships with social media companies… https://t.co/yqne3IT7p9twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

36. Tom Dziadkowiec joined Meta in 2022 as Senior Manager Trust & Safety.

Prior to joining Meta, he worked at the State Department for 5 years as Program Manager https://t.co/ns8C2CiIm1linkedin.com/in/tom-dziadko…

37. Abbas Ravjan-, Prior to joining Meta in 2019 as Privacy & Public Policy Senior Manager, Abbas was a Member of the Biden-Harris Transition Team. He developed & drafted policy memos & draft Executive Orders that were signed by President Biden on Day One.

Prior to serving on… https://t.co/Mu94P4OewAtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

38. Kevin LeClair joined Meta in 2020- “Head of Operations”. Prior to Meta:

4 years State Department- Special Agent
3 years Department of Treasury- Special Agent
1 year US Attorney’s Office- Special Agent

In his role at Meta, he describes himself as a Problem Solver, Business… https://t.co/bRWr1DINbltwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

39. Ryan Kagin- Joined Meta in 2018. He’s an “Investigator”

Prior to Meta, Ryan was an Analyst at the DOD for over 9 years https://t.co/VVT6VDRfa3linkedin.com/in/kagin/

40. Sandy Kunvatanagarn- After serving the State Department as a Diplomat for 7 years, she joined Meta in 2019 as a Public Policy Manager.

She claims to have led the policy team’s COVID-19 response in Asia

https://t.co/AFgRByk1mAlinkedin.com/in/sandy-kunva…

41. Alex Kokon- Joined Meta in 2020 as Head of Trust & Safety- Africa, Middle East & Turkey- Global Response. He describes himself as an “Experienced tech manager.”

Prior to taking his talents to Meta, Alex worked at the State Department for 10 years. He worked at numerous US… https://t.co/TcN4P8ywmWtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

42. Jonathan Carpenter joined WhatsApp in 2019 as a Product Policy Director.

Prior to that he spent 6 years a the State Department stationed in Afghanistan & Pakistan as a Senior Economic Advisor & Deputy Special Representative https://t.co/s7B4v0BrLnlinkedin.com/in/jjcarp/

43. Andrea Wells- Joined Meta in 2018. She’s currently a Manager of Global Security Threat Management.

Her prior experience is 12 years at State Department as a Special Agent https://t.co/3xZO1zlAOflinkedin.com/in/andreamwell…

44. I've made my best effort to narrow down the results to Meta employees in Content Moderation, Public Policy, and Trust & Safety positions.

The initial search yielded close to 400 names, but I excluded anyone with little to no relevant experience, such as interns or… https://t.co/DPkXKuYqqLtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…