[ April 25, 2024 ]
Obama and his campaign army were heralded for their sagacious exploitation of Facebook and social media during the ’08 and ’12 presidential campaigns. Obama was held up as a cool, cutting edge candidate in touch with cultural zeitgeist of America, and wasn’t that really special? But when President Trump employed similar marketing techniques, were such plaudits given to him? Hardly. The party of treason in concert with their propaganda arm, the enemedia, deemed it illegal and treasonous. So it is a most welcome piece of news that the Obama campaign might be held to a similar standard of leftwing persecution.
Nonetheless, kudos to Missouri’s Republican attorney general Josh Hawley who served an investigative subpoena to Facebook’s Menlo Park offices on Monday, demanding a wide-ranging group of documents related to the social media giant’s handling of user data.
Hawley’s office has active probes into other Silicon Valley companies, most notably into Google.
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If Hawley chooses to lead the much-needed battle against social media censorship and totalitarianism, he has a big future. Huge.
Josh Hawley Opens Probe into Facebook, Continues to Battle Silicon Valley
Missouri AG demands all Facebook communications with Obama’s 2012 campaign
By Brent Scher, WFB, April 3, 2018:
Missouri’s Republican attorney general Josh Hawley delivered an investigative subpoena to Facebook’s Menlo Park offices on Monday, demanding a wide-ranging group of documents related to the social media giant’s handling of user data.
The civil investigative demand, which was provided by the attorney general’s office and can be viewed here, comes a week after a group of 37 state attorneys general sent a letter asking for answers on how user data was shared with third party groups such as Cambridge Analytica. Hawley decided to follow-up on the letter with the subpoena to give Facebook a “legal consequence for failing to respond” by May 29, his office said.
The probe aims to determine whether Facebook exercised “appropriate care and protection over private consumer data” and whether the site’s terms and conditions “accurately and adequately explained how consumers’ data would be used.”
The request focuses not just on Facebook’s relationship with Cambridge Analytica but also asks for all communications between the company and the digital team for former President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign.
It specifically asks for all communications between Facebook and Carol Davidsen, Obama’s director of digital integration and media analytics, and for communications with “any employee, volunteer, independent contractor, or agent of the campaign Obama for America relating to the sharing of Facebook User Information.”
Also requested are any calendar entries reflecting meetings between the Obama campaign and Facebook.
Hawley also asks for a list of every campaign and political action committee Facebook has provided user information to since January 1, 2012.
Facebook is also asked to identify all types of user data that have been collected and when it began collecting each type.
“There is no excuse for this irresponsible handling of user data,” Hawley said after announcing the probe.
“Missourians need to know that they can trust the companies and platforms that have access to as much user information as Facebook does.”
Hawley’s office has active probes into other Silicon Valley companies, most notably into Google.
Last November Hawley issued an investigative subpoena to Google asking for information on both the way it handles user data and on whether it’s using its search engine to direct traffic toward its own services.
His office also has investigations into Equifax and Uber related to data breaches at each company.
“As the chief law enforcement officer in Missouri, I must protect the privacy of internet users,” Hawley said. “As technology develops at a rapid pace, Silicon Valley needs to ensure that the proper protections are in place to guard consumer privacy. If they do not do this, my office will pursue those responsible.”
Hawley is currently running to unseat Democratic senator Claire McCaskill. Neither McCaskill’s office nor her campaign responded to requests for comment on Hawley’s decision to investigate Facebook.
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17 Comments
6 years ago
I’d like to see the evidence myself. If Facebook is sharing private data with the alt left then the doj needs to shut them down. Very disturbing.
6 years ago
Of course FB shared data. The question is, just how far will Mr. Hawley be allowed to go with his investigation. Will he be indefinitely stonewalled with endless delays. Probably. I hope he has the blessing of the DOJ behind him. He’s going to need it with FB.
6 years ago
Reply to
santashandler
Hawley can cut speed things up if he can leverage threats against *uckerberg/FB. Somehow freeze trading of FB stock, seize assets, shut down FB until FB comes forward with everything Hawley asks for. *uckerberg is a scared little weasel, he’ll cave.
F- Zuck.
6 years ago
Reply to
santashandler
Good! What business does he have investigating a business with no brick-and-mortar presence in the state?
6 years ago
Reply to
aemoreira1981
Because that business operated across state lines and violated the laws in his state, that’s how. Why don’t you just say you support what FB has done.
6 years ago
Reply to
santashandler
The courts have historically upheld the brick-and-mortar principle. If the matter is a business in another state, federal law applies.
6 years ago
Reply to
aemoreira1981
Well, obviously not. I’m sure you know better than the Attorney General though.
6 years ago
great. the democrat AG’s have become weaponized against us, turn about is fair play. time to destroy the democrat-muslim media with a ceaseless onslaught of taxpayer-financed litigation whose only purpose is the ultimate destruction of that media
6 years ago
I think I’d rather see Josh Hawley and (R) Devin Nunes (CA) investigate Obama’s release of funds to Iran. Was it Constitutional, was it treason punishable by death?
We can rattle the swamp and empower Trump to drain it.
F- Obama.
F- the Left.
F- pisslam.
6 years ago
There is one good way to extract information from reluctant face book executives, it is called the “rack” the truth can be legitimately stretched on it.
6 years ago
Reply to
Mahou Shoujo
FB is not immune to prosecution, despite the left’s rhetoric:
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/12041/facebook-social-media-terrorism
“How Facebook and Social Media Promote Terrorism”
by Uzi Shaya
March 22, 2018
“The failure by the social media networks to enforce the prevention of terror-related content on their sites is, in fact, a direct violation of the Antiterrorism Act and the Material Supply Statutes; the general public is also in its right to have the protections of the Community Decency Act of 1996 cover content on social media.”
6 years ago
Facebook should move to have the subpoena quashed for lack of jurisdiction. Facebook has no physical presence in Missouri. As for who would have jurisdiction…California, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Texas, and Washington state.
6 years ago
Finally, the proverbial “other shoe” drops.
6 years ago
BUSTED! Two Libtards caught in the act of creating Facetards!
6 years ago
Obama was a “cool, cutting edge candidate”. If Obama knew how to use Twitter (just saying), that too would have made him a “cool, cutting edge candidate”. Not Trump though!
