Facebook and Law Enforcement
June 17, 2020
Does Facebook cooperate with law enforcement. Viewed one way, Facebook can be a foot dragger. Viewed another, Facebook lends a helping hand to enforcement authorities.
It does not surprise us that Facebook has come under fire from those protesting police misconduct. However, this controversy is not about handing over private data or security information to law enforcement. OneZero reports, “BLM Protesters Demand Facebook Stop Funding Local Police.” In this case, “local” refers to Menlo Park, where Facebook is based. Journalist Sarah Emerson explains:
“In 2017, Facebook struck a deal with its hometown of Menlo Park to fund a new police force, dubbed the ‘Facebook Unit,’ which patrols the area surrounding the company’s billion-dollar headquarters. As I reported last year, both Facebook and Menlo Park claim this partnership is meant to account for a growing population stemming from Facebook’s expansion in the area. Since Menlo Park maintains a certain policing ratio, more residents necessitate more cops. But according to private emails between the city and Facebook, which I obtained through a public records request, the company aggressively pushed for Menlo Park to expand its police force, despite strong opposition from communities of color. … After several years of planning, in September 2017, Facebook agreed to donate $11.2 million into the City of Menlo Park’s general fund. The police department has hired several new officers thanks to Facebook’s millions — covering their salaries, pensions, training, and equipment — but because the city does not earmark these funds, there’s little transparency or accountability around law enforcement spending.”
The funds go into the city’s general fund and are allocated by the city council. The mayor actually told Emerson it would be inappropriate to track the funds.
Now community organizers demand Facebook cease supporting police activities, meanwhile asking local residents to boycott events like festivals and farmers’ markets hosted by the company. They also call for the Menlo Park Police Department to fire a sergeant accused of racial profiling and harassment in 2015. The community has struggled for a decade with gentrification associated with the rise of its technology sector and with the outsized influence those companies have in the area. See the article for more discussion of those points.
Mr. Zuckerberg’s shape shifting continues to keep Facebook in a mystical zone of fuzziness. Confusing? Not to a marketing oriented, politically astute social media mogul.
Cynthia Murrell, June 17, 2020
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