New York Prosecutors Can Now Request For Facebook User Data

If you’re living in New York and privacy is a huge concern for you, you might have to prepare yourself because according to a recent court ruling, it has been ruled that Facebook must comply with authorities and hand over user data on 381 users, following the investigation into Social Security fraud.

The ruling does not allow Facebook to challenge those requests. In fact it seems that the only way to challenge those requests is by the individuals themselves but only after the information has been gathered. The request was initially made by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office when they were investigating Social Security Fraud.

Facebook had initially resisted the request, claiming that it violated users’ Fourth Amendment rights, which a state judge basically threw out. While companies such as Microsoft and Google backed Facebook, claiming it sets a troubling precedent, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office believes it is necessary.

According to her, “In many cases, evidence on their Facebook accounts directly contradicted the lies the defendants told to the Social Security Administration.” The information posted on Facebook included photos of public employees who were doing sporting activities, despite claiming to be disabled. In a time when tech companies are coming forward and claiming that they will protect user data, this move certainly does not look good.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Web
Tags: Facebook, Legal, Privacy, Social Hit