Under pressure from Congress, Facebook has begun handing over users’ personal data to intelligence agencies to help find and punish former President Donald Trump’s supporters
As News Front previously reported, security forces launched a crackdown against conservatives after the January 6 protests that ended with the storming of the Capitol.
In doing so, a warrant for access to his Facebook account was found in the indictment against New York resident Christopher Kelly. Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation were able to access Kelly’s personal messages, IP, phone number and emails.
According to Forbes, agents obtained a tip on Kelly and found evidence of the New Yorker’s involvement in the Washington protests in his correspondence. Specifically, he wrote to another user about being around members of the right-wing group the Proud Boys.
Intelligence agencies also checked Kelly’s search history and tracked his movements. He was found to have travelled from New York to Silver Spring, near the US capital, on 6 January.
It is worth noting that this is one of many such cases in a massive punitive campaign against Trump supporters. The security forces are aided in this by the so-called Patriot Act. It was passed in 2001 in the wake of the 9/11 attacks and gave intelligence agencies incredible access to Americans’ personal data. After the storming of the Capitol, the authorities considered further extending the powers of the security forces.