AlsaJul 7, 2023
Kim Crawley (she/her) 😷🍉

This is a warning about Meta and Threads.

Please boost this here and outside of Mastodon so that pregnant people in the United States are informed that using Meta/Threads is dangerous.

I'm unlikely to get pregnant but I have ZERO presence on Meta/Facebook/Instagram/Threads as a matter of principle.

#abortionrights #pregnant #threads

Jul 7, 2023 at 12:18pmWeb
Show threadIron RaptorJul 7, 2023

@crowgirl
Again, this is why it is not launching in Europe

https://techcrunch.com/2023/07/05/threads-no-eu-launch/amp/?guccounter=1

TechCrunch is part of the Yahoo family of brands

Show threadenmodo ⚛️ 🧬 🇺🇦 🍉Jul 8, 2023

@Ironraptor @crowgirl unfortunately when the government comes knocking with the appropriate warrants there's not much US companies can do. The only defense is if they literally don't store that data.

Similarly the EU has no problem with platforms releasing such data to European law enforcement, in fact they may even require backdoors for that purpose. They just don't want European citizens' data being mined by US entities or released to American law enforcement. #GDPR.

Show threadenmodo ⚛️ 🧬 🇺🇦 🍉Jul 8, 2023
@Ironraptor @crowgirl meanwhile don't forget anything you post here is effectively public. The only thing you can hide is your identity which will be a lot easier to do if you aren't running your own instance unless you're doing something relatively complex to mask a personal instance's IP address. You'd also have to be very careful about what you post to ensure you don't leak any clues.
Show threadhollyJul 8, 2023
@Ironraptor @crowgirl
yes but also it's because of the single market and antitrust
Show threada1Jul 7, 2023
@crowgirl 100% correct, @crowgirl . Again. 👍
Show threadbelikekramerJul 7, 2023
@crowgirl People are going to Zuck the guy who sent their dads down the rabbit hole...ill be damned
https://youtu.be/34IJEQQgwfIastodon.art
Threads Isn't Going To Replace Twitter Yet

YouTube
Show threadbmaxvJul 7, 2023

@crowgirl this is what

"Let's scan internet chats for criminal activity"

will look like in practice.

@EU_Commission

#Chatkontrolle #chatcontrol

Show threadStoneface VimesJul 7, 2023
@crowgirl well said
Show threadPablo Jul 7, 2023
@crowgirl uff… sadly in my country probably soon this will be our reality too.
Show threadexternellyJul 7, 2023
@crowgirl https://jezebel.com/nebraska-mom-and-teen-daughter-face-criminal-charges-fo-1849387571
Nebraska Mom and Teen Daughter Face Criminal Charges for Alleged Self-Managed Abortion

Police got a warrant for Facebook messages which suggested the mother obtained abortion pills for her daughter.

Jezebel
Show threadLizzyB2001Jul 7, 2023
@crowgirl @Matthew2468 I mean, I don’t plan on getting pregnant as of now but I will definitely be mindful of where I post things when the time comes. Thanks so much for sharing this!
Show threadgoof_ball_amirJul 7, 2023
@crowgirl that’s brutal from META to further traumatizs the poor woman by handing over the facebook messages. Disgusting.
Show threadDouglas KilpatrickJul 7, 2023
@goof_ball_amir @crowgirl They had a warrant. Once FB had the messages and they got a warrant, handing them over is required.... Now, having the messages is not. (And end-to-end encryption is part of their response)
Show threadGreenDotGuyJul 7, 2023
@kilpatds @goof_ball_amir @crowgirl Yep. And if you don't comply, the government will come and take your server or have your hosting provider dump it. If it's encrypted, they'll hold the admin or the user (depending on how it's encrypted) in contempt of court and throw you in jail until you hand over the keys.
Show threadgoof_ball_amirJul 7, 2023

@DarcMoughty @kilpatds @crowgirl

Well in that case private keys should be only in the hands of users. In chatting apps that is doable, right?

Show threadGreenDotGuyJul 7, 2023

@goof_ball_amir @kilpatds @crowgirl absolutely, and Meta owns the world's leading product that has that feature.

Had they used WhatsApp, Meta would've just handed the police a .zip file full of unintelligible garbage... and it would have been up to the parties in the conversation to defend their privacy.

Show threadMarjorieRJul 8, 2023
@kilpatds @goof_ball_amir @crowgirl one difference (of many) between Facebook and the Fediverse is that Facebook have a real names policy.
So, if you use a fediverse alias rather than your real name, then they cant just ask your instances server for your posts by name, as there aren't any on the Fediverse servers and there are lots of instances you could be on.
If they have already taken your unencrypted device (phone , laptop), or they can associate your posts with you then of course they can.
Show threadDavid Samuel AuerJul 7, 2023
@crowgirl Thanks for warning. I won't get pregnant, but that alone is good enough reason to avoid Threads. Wasn't planning on going there regardless. One more reason to despise Mark *uckerburg. #ReproductiveRights are #HumanRights.
Show threadCrazyMyraJul 7, 2023
@crowgirl This is what happened at kolektiva.social too. If there's a subpoena or a warrant, site owners have to hand over the info.
Meta is bad enough as it is. Why spread misinformation?
Show threadErik HaugenJul 7, 2023
@OutOnTheMoors @crowgirl Really important to keep this in mind: any US company, at least, will and must pretty much freely hand over all information they have to law enforcement upon request. Any data the company has access to is *not* secret in that sense.
Show threadCrazyMyraJul 7, 2023
@ech @crowgirl Yup. I went to Twitter and read the story that's in the screenshot. Sounds like a neighbour or "friend" shipped the woman in question to the cops, who then demanded - and legally obtained - the info from Facebook. FB didn't initiate the harm.
Show threadjsnidalJul 7, 2023

@crowgirl I

… have ZERO presence on Meta/Facebook/Instagram/Threads as a matter of principle.

Same here!

Show threadaviJul 7, 2023
@crowgirl This applies to every messaging service that doesn’t use end-to-end encryption (or not by default, like Facebook Messenger).
Show threadSkylar Caulfield Jul 7, 2023
@crowgirl I wonder if old twitter would of helped anti abortion people too, *sigh. I just hate big tech so much, and it's really awful that most people are not educated about E2EE. Keep in mind your hsotijg provider could ram dump your mastodon instance, backup the drive, decrypt it and send it to the state gov.
Show threadUnprecedented 2023Jul 7, 2023
@crowgirl 😳😳
Show threadBryanJul 7, 2023
@crowgirl historians will point to Facebook and that asshole Zuck as the start of our downfall
Show threadVirginia HollowayJul 7, 2023
@bry @crowgirl our downfall started long before that I’m afraid.
Show threadExpert Plus🍀 📷Jul 7, 2023
@crowgirl what on the earth?
Show threadTopKnotJul 7, 2023

@crowgirl

#BeatTheSystem?

I wonder what would happen if I talked a majority of my male "Friends" on Facebook/Threads to post every week, something like ...

"I had an illegal abortion in Smithville, Florida last week and the procedure went smoothly."

Show threadFrances LarinaJul 7, 2023

@TopKnot @crowgirl

*if* enough people could be convinced to join in the effort, it would provide some cover, at least for conversations. The problem is, apps also track *location*.

Show threadNeurodivergent BC  Jul 7, 2023
@crowgirl This is why you always use end-to-end encryption for private messages.
Show threadAskPippa🇨🇦Jul 7, 2023
@crowgirl It's never a good idea to put anything very personal on any social media, anywhere -- to some degree it's all public. And police can often issue warrants for private groups -- like they did in this case after someone tipped them off.
Show threadZ1aJul 7, 2023
@crowgirl wow i love threads more now
Show threadMr. Bruno Jul 7, 2023
@crowgirl One more reason not to use Meta!
Show threadsome guyJul 7, 2023
@crowgirl I'm pro-choice, but it should be noted that the woman in question was 7 months pregnant at the time that she aborted her pregnancy. This might not be the story that highlights why Meta sucks.
Show threadBioalchemy13 🇺🇸🇺🇦Jul 7, 2023
@crowgirl https://jezebel.com/is-it-safe-to-talk-about-abortion-on-facebook-arrest-o-1849397713
Is It Safe to Talk About Abortion on Facebook? Arrest of Nebraska Mom and Teen Raises Questions

Experts say the short answer is no—the longer answer is absolutely not.

Jezebel
Show threadwanderer_jJul 7, 2023
@crowgirl I was on the fence about Threads. Not anymore.
Show threadJaredJul 7, 2023
@crowgirl first day on mastodon, go to trending page, and I see a screenshot of a tweet that has a picture of a website that is source material. But no access to source material. There is zero easy way to verify if what you posted is true. Just for anyone who happens to be reading, screenshots as sources become a slippery slope where misinformation absolutely will find its way in if you are unable to fact check
Show threadMary P G KeatingJul 7, 2023
@crowgirl
Alarming indeed.
Thanks for headsup
Show threadQuantumOrgasm~Jul 7, 2023
@crowgirl Time to cut any/all ties to Meta and Twitter, of course.
Show threadFractalfarmerJul 7, 2023
@crowgirl I'm fortunate enough to live in a country where abortion is legal and accessible. I stand with those who do not have that right.
Show threadBernard SheppardJul 7, 2023

@Fractalfarmer @crowgirl here I am, privileged white male, living in a land where it was cheap or free and easy for me to choose permanent infertility for me when the time was right, and where abortion is legal, inexpensive or free, scratching my head trying to work out what is worse:

a) abortion is illegal,
b) providing advice about abortion is "aiding" abortion, is illegal and subject to a search warrant that the court system will actually issue, or,
c) that these warnings are tweeted out with Meta rather than Facebook or Insta, because I think that the target audience won't associate the corporation with the app.

The answer is, of course

d) all of the above.

Show threadGreenDotGuyJul 7, 2023

@crowgirl IMO, that's not 'actively helping', it's responding to a lawful request/subpoena/warrant, and almost every Mastodon admin would likely do the same, or 'have it done for them the hard way'.

Actively helping would be something like creating a live query for abortion activities in chats and feeding it to law enforcement.

I'm on your side here, but I'm seeing a lot of 'Meta did THIS!' as if it's not something every company and admin pretty much has to do when compelled by a judge.

Show threadPatriciaAWAJul 7, 2023
@crowgirl
Show threadGoopyJul 7, 2023
@crowgirl
Show threadMattJul 7, 2023
@crowgirl wow - didn’t know this. Thanks for sharing - scary stuff.
Show threadPaloma Jul 7, 2023

@crowgirl
It is good to have a source... Digital news paper or something...

Like this:

https://www.npr.org/2022/08/12/1117092169/nebraska-cops-used-facebook-messages-to-investigate-an-alleged-illegal-abortion

Show threadboojitJul 7, 2023

@crowgirl Interesting. Here's what I believe to be the link to the story in that screenshot:

https://jezebel.com/nebraska-teen-pleads-guilty-to-charges-related-to-self-1850465933

Looks to me like Meta was served with a warrant and they complied with the warrant.

Definitely not trying to go to bat for Meta here, but I'm not sure that there is much they could do in this particular case. (that said, IA-definitely-NAL and for all I know they could have fought this).

Nebraska Teen Pleads Guilty to Charges Related to Self-Managed Abortion

Celeste Burgess, 18, faces up to two years in prison for taking abortion pills and burying a stillborn fetus in 2022. Her mother faces eight years.

Jezebel
Show threadJosh CollettaJul 7, 2023
@boojit @crowgirl What was Nebraska going to do, try to send someone from Meta to jail for non-compliance? Bullshit warrants like that don't get recognized. Facebook is complicit in criminalizing a non-crime.
Show threadboojitJul 7, 2023

@officialunofficialjdc @crowgirl Good point. I don't know how these things go, but guessing a corpo laywer's algorithm is pretty much "valid warrant == compliance", end of story. Hopefully a lawyer will chime in here.

Can I just take this opportunity to say fuck this law, fuck this criminal case (no crime was committed) and especially FUCK the NE county attorney responsible for prosecuting this.

Show threadJosh CollettaJul 7, 2023
@boojit @crowgirl Hear hear!
Show threadJosh CollettaJul 7, 2023
@crowgirl Not to mention that Meta's content moderation practices (and note that I said *practices,* not policies, because their written policies -- what little they make public -- are not what they enforce) almost always punish victims and protect abusers. Hate speech is allowed, but condemning it often gets you put in "Facebook jail." It's total and complete bullshit, and they revel in it. That alone is enough to justify defederating them.
Show threadKaren BethanyJul 7, 2023
@crowgirl
Shouldn’t this really be a warning that tech cos comply with warrants so if you’re going to discuss crimes (even crimes that shouldn’t be crimes) FFS use an encrypted app like Signal!