Facebook may be actively snooping on private messages of select individuals, the New York Post alleges. The platform suspended the account of FBI whistleblower Steve Friend’s wife after she sent a message in response to a parent’s post asking if her husband needed support.
Friend made a whistleblower complaint with the Department of Justice inspector general, alleging that the FBI had been manipulating case-file management to inflate the threat of domestic terrorism and using excessive and illegal force against the Biden administration’s political opponents.
Last week, Friend was suspended by the FBI after he refused to participate in what he felt was an unnecessarily heavy-handed raid of the home of some who committed a misdemeanor during the January 6 riot last year.
Friend’s wife’s Facebook account was suspended after she responded to a post by Moms for Liberty, an organization that advocates for the rights of parents, and has been censored by Facebook before.
“What can M4L do for Steve Friend right now?” Moms for Liberty had texted a mutual friend. “We want to offer community support of fundraising (though we feel it would likely be shut down). Can you reach out to him and let him know Moms for Liberty is thinking of him and if we can provide any assistance we are here.”
Friend’s wife responded to the offer using Messenger. In the message, she said she was Friend’s wife, thanked M4L for the support, and told the group that Friend was seeking permission from the FBI to publicly speak about the complaint.
30 minutes after sending the message, Friend’s wife was told that her Facebook account had been suspended since the “account, or activity on it, doesn’t follow our Community Standards.”
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