During Facebook Inc.’s continuing crackdown on fake accounts, its latest victim is the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The social media giant told the Associated Press on Tuesday that the department is no different from anyone else when it comes to violating its terms of service. The announcement follows news that Citizenship and Immigration Services had given its officers permission to create bogus accounts to monitor foreigners trying to enter the U.S.
“Law enforcement authorities, like everyone else, are required to use their real names on Facebook and we make this policy clear,” a Facebook spokeswoman told the Associated Press in a statement. “Operating fake accounts is not allowed, and we will act on any violating accounts.”
That spokesperson said Facebook had been in contact with the DHS and relayed the information that any fake accounts used by officers will be taken down, once they are reported.
Last week it was revealed that in the past law enforcement did not have the right to create fake accounts, but that policy had been reversed of late in the interest of security. That came after a move by the Trump administration in June to require visa applicants to submit their social media account names. Officers could only view public information, though, and not “friend” or “follow” someone.
“Incorporating reviews of publicly available information on social media platforms in our threat detection work is a commonsense measure to strengthen our vetting procedures and vigilance in safeguarding our legal immigration system from those who would seek to exploit and abuse it,” a USCIS spokesperson said in a statement.
That might seem contradictory given the pressure Facebook and also Twitter Inc. have been under to remove accounts using false names or pretending to be other people. In August, both Facebook and Twitter took down scores of Chinese government-backed accounts for what the companies said were engaging in inauthentic behavior.
“It is against our policies to use fake personae and to use Twitter data for persistent surveillance of individuals,” Twitter said last week in statement after it was revealed that law enforcement had been given the green light to create fake accounts. “We look forward to understanding USCIS’s proposed practices to determine whether they are consistent with our terms of service.”
Image: ThoughtCatalog/Flickr
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