Facebook Once Again In Congressional Crosshairs
This time, Oversight chairwoman seeks answers on hacks involved in launching Canadian trucker protests
Social media titan Facebook once more apparently is running afoul of US congressional leaders for fraudulent use of accounts which helped launch the ongoing trucker protests in Canada.
Rep Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), the powerful chairwoman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, is seeking answers from Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook parent company Meta Platforms.
Specifically, Maloney wants answers from Meta about fake accounts on Facebook behind organizing and fundraising efforts related to the protests using trucks to clog streets and bridges in Canada in opposition to mandates and regulations related to the COVID-19 pandemic, known as the “Freedom Convoy.”
“We researched some of the biggest Facebook groups promoting the Canadian trucker protest before they were shut down yesterday, and noticed something was a bit off. The only individual admin running some of the most active groups was one woman in Missouri. Or so it seemed,” tweeted journalist Steve Reilly, of the Grid news organization.
The woman's years-old Facebook account had no real history of political activity until January 2022, when it suddenly posted a fundraiser for Donald Trump.
“Below the post was a comment from the woman's daughter: ‘I like how you hacked my moms shit but you won't answer my dm,’” Reilly reported.
He said that he called the woman on her publicly listed number, and she said her account had been hacked.
The stolen account was administering a collection Facebook groups started between January 26 and January 28 that had amassed more than 300,000 followers that had 7,500 posts.
It's these reports which prompted the attention of Oversight chairwoman Maloney.
Maloney wrote that although Meta has said it removed dozens of groups, “it is unclear whether inauthentic behavior related to the ‘Freedom Convoy' is continuing to occur on Facebook, and whether other inauthentic behavior is continuing despite Meta’s broader efforts.”
Maloney has posed a series of questions to Zuckerberg, with a deadline to respond of February 28.
Facebook, and Zuckerberg, have run afoul of US lawmakers a number of times in recent years, most lately testimony of a company whistleblower on Capitol Hill.
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