On Friday, Breitbart News reported that Facebook provided the FBI with private information about Capitol Hill protesters.
Facebook is providing the FBI with data on users who participated in the Capitol Hill riots, including their private information, as many of the events that took place on Jan. 6 appear to have been organized on the social media platform, the report said.
A criminal complaint filed Wednesday against New York resident Christopher M. Kelly shows that a search warrant was issued for his Facebook account, Forbes reported.
The FBI wanted Kelly’s private information – as well as his linked IP address, phone number and Gmail address – after getting word that Facebook posts contained images of his alleged involvement in the Capitol Hill riots earlier this month.
“I will be joined by former NYPD officers and some ‘proud boys.’ This will be the most historic event of my Life.” Kelly told another Facebook user that he told him to stay safe at the Washington, D.C. event and to be careful with Antifa.
The report also said Kelly’s message showed that his brother is a retired police officer and that the two of them planned to go to the Capitol.
In a private message in a group chat on Jan. 6, Kelly said, “Tear gas, police, stopped the hearing, they all went to the basement.” Later adding, “Fuck these snakes, get out of our house!”
Facebook also provided the FBI with an IP log that showed Kelly traveling from New York to Silver Spring, Maryland, outside of Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6.
Kelly also posted a photo on Jan. 9 in which he appeared to be wearing no shirt and holding an American flag in front of the Capitol, according to the complaint. Kelly told another social media user, “That’s me – my brother took that.”
The report also said an arrest warrant had been issued, but there was no indication that Kelly had been arrested.
After the Jan. 6 riots on Capitol Hill, large tech companies insisted that the protests were linked to the organization on smaller social media sites such as Parler. The tech giants even used that claim as an excuse to justify forcing Parler offline, even though most of the conversations protesters had around their plans for Capitol Hill appeared to be taking place on other social media platforms.
Shortly after the riot, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg said the attack was organized on fringe sites, Forbes noted. But that’s not the case, according to this criminal complaint and others.
There is growing evidence that Facebook was used to help organize the protest. The Justice Department has filed several charges against protesters who used Facebook to plan visits to Washington, D.C., as well as to post about their attendance on Capitol Hill.
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