时间:2025-07-19 07:55:29 来源:网络整理编辑:熱點
Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have suspended Geofeedia, a platform that collects real-time social
Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have suspended Geofeedia, a platform that collects real-time social media information based on location, from having access to its data.
The decision follows an investigation that law enforcement used the tool to track activists and protests, the American Civil Liberties Union of North California (ACLU) published in a blog post Tuesday. It provides another case that surveillance information is potentially being used to target minority groups.
SEE ALSO:The police technology intensifying racial discriminationGeofeedia pulls social media feeds and makes it searchable and accessible to third parties (Mashableis a customer). Subscribers can search by keyword and by location to find recently posted and publicly available tweets.
The information is accessible at least 500 law enforcement and public safety agencies as of June, according to an email from Geofeedia published by ACLU.
Geofeedia, for its part, does not deny selling its data to law enforcement agencies. It noted "major law enforcement agencies like the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department" as a subscriber in its Series A funding round announcement in 2014.
Yet, the ACLU investigation highlighted the tool's surveillance capabilities, which is against these social media platforms' rules. The ACLU posted emails from Geofeedia's team that mentioned the tool's ability to track the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, and Baltimore.
The confidential emails from Geofeedia published by ACLU also say that the platform is able to "pull private information for Instagram and Twitter users."
The ACLU reached out to the companies about the situation with Geofeedia. Additionally, The Daily Dotreported via a public record request that the Denver Police Department uses Geofeedia. The Baltimore Sunreported that its police also used Geofeedia to monitor protests, parades and celebrations.
Facebook and Instagram decided to cut off access on Sept. 19, shortly after being contacted by the ACLU. Twitter delayed until Oct. 11.
Tweet may have been deleted
Facebook's platform policy also states that developers cannot "sell license, or purchase any data obtained from us or our services” and they cannot “transfer any data that [they] receive from us (including anonymous, aggregate, or derived data) to any … data broker.”
Facebook said in a statement to Mashable, "This developer only had access to data that people chose to make public. Its access was subject to the limitations in our Platform Policy, which outlines what we expect from developers that receive data using the Facebook Platform. If a developer uses our APIs in a way that has not been authorized, we will take swift action to stop them and we will end our relationship altogether if necessary.”
Twitter said it forbids its data from being used "to investigate, track or surveil Twitter users," its developer policy reads. The company had previously cut off intelligence agencies from using Dataminr for surveillance reasons, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Update: Phil Harris, CEO of Geofeedia, released a statement at 5 p.m. ET Tuesday defending the platform's transparency and saying the company has clear policies that prevent "inappropriate use" of the software.
Geofeedia is a software platform that aims to provide important, real-time publicly available information to a broad range of private and public sector clients, including corporations, media and journalism groups, marketing and advertising firms, educational companies, cities, schools, sports teams, and the aviation sector. In each of these areas, Geofeedia is committed to the principles of personal privacy, transparency and both the letter and the spirit of the law when it comes to individual rights.
Our platform provides some clients, including law enforcement officials across the country, with a critical tool in helping to ensure public safety while protecting civil rights and liberties. Notably, our software has also been used in response and recovery efforts – from the Boston Marathon to the effects of Hurricane Matthew that we saw this past weekend – to assist millions of people affected by both manmade and natural events.
Geofeedia has in place clear policies and guidelines to prevent the inappropriate use of our software; these include protections related to free speech and ensuring that end-users do not seek to inappropriately identify individuals based on race, ethnicity, religious, sexual orientation or political beliefs, among other factors.
That said, we understand, given the ever-changing nature of digital technology, that we must continue to work to build on these critical protections of civil rights. Geofeedia will continue to engage with key civil liberty stakeholders, including the ACLU, and the law enforcement community to make sure that we do everything in our power to support the security of the American people and the protection of personal freedoms.
TopicsFacebookInstagramTwitter
Olympics official on Rio's green diving pool: 'Chemistry is not an exact science'2025-07-19 07:47
記者手記:出征49天健康回國就是勝利 在主場拿分仍有機會2025-07-19 07:25
巴媒:中國足球黃金時代破滅 廣州恐賽季末解散2025-07-19 07:19
足協人士 :盼國足有真正主場 正盡最大努力協調溝通2025-07-19 07:03
17 questions you can answer if you're a good communicator2025-07-19 07:02
粵媒:國足對自己實力定位沒底 還有理論出線可能2025-07-19 06:32
阿根廷新戰神!同期進球超梅西 遭爆踹後破門複仇2025-07-19 06:15
海港遭中乙隊阻擊險翻車 李申圓絕殺難掩攻擊乏力2025-07-19 05:36
Aly Raisman catches Simone Biles napping on a plane like a champion2025-07-19 05:36
武磊入選十二強賽周最佳候選名單 孫興慜阿茲蒙在列2025-07-19 05:24
These glasses hide a fitness tracker on your face2025-07-19 07:52
留洋不易!唐佳麗為融入英超戒午餐 中午進行訓練2025-07-19 07:46
AC米蘭官宣與薩勒馬科爾斯續約 雙方簽約至2026年2025-07-19 07:05
外媒對比梅羅國家隊進球:梅西點球更多 C羅任意球占優2025-07-19 07:05
Cat gets stuck in the most awkward position ever2025-07-19 06:48
巴西VS烏拉圭首發 :內馬爾PK蘇亞雷斯 卡瓦尼登場2025-07-19 06:25
曝蘇州有望承辦國足12強賽兩場比賽 將適度開放球迷入場2025-07-19 05:52
記者談斯科拉裏執教國足可能性:恒大用過的怎麽可能用2025-07-19 05:29
Twitter grants everyone access to quality filter for tweet notifications2025-07-19 05:18
足協人士:盼國足有真正主場 正盡最大努力協調溝通2025-07-19 05:10