Meta blocks links to the ICE list on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads

I started dead Prevent its users from sharing links to Ice menua website that has compiled the names of what it claims to be Department of Homeland Security Employees, a project the creators say is designed to hold those employees accountable.

Dominic Skinner, creator of the ICE list, tells WIRED that links to the website have been shared without issue on Meta platforms for more than six months.

“I think it’s not surprising that a company run by a guy who sat behind Trump at his inauguration and donated to destroying the White House would take a position that helps ICE agents remain anonymous,” Skinner says.

like Agents The Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, under the Department of Homeland Security, have continued to terrorize immigrant communities Killing American citizensActivists have sought to track and record their online activity in an attempt to hold them accountable. But so is the threat Prosecute those who claim to be ICE agentsTrump administration Compact technology companies To prevent any efforts to crowdsource the location and activities of these agents.

The ICE list has been running since last June. Skinner says it’s run by a core team of five people, including himself, as well as hundreds of anonymous volunteers who share information about ICE agents working in cities across the United States.

The site went viral earlier this month when it claimed to have uploaded a leaked list of 4,500 DHS employees to its site, but… Wire analysis It found that the list relied too heavily on information employees had publicly shared about themselves on sites like LinkedIn.

Skinner said volunteers he works with across the United States first reported problems posting links on Meta platforms Monday evening.

On Tuesday morning, WIRED verified that links to the site were blocked on Instagram, Facebook and Threads. WIRED also confirmed that links can still be sent on WhatsApp, another product owned by Meta.

While all social media platforms where the link is blocked are owned by Meta, the reasons given to users for being unable to link to the ICE List website vary.

When WIRED tried to post a link to the site, we received a message that read: “Posts that appear to be spam are blocked according to our Facebook Community Guidelines and cannot be edited.” However, hours later, this message was updated to read: “Your content cannot be shared, as this link goes against our community standards.” Message associated with Meta Community Standards Home Page Rather than a specific part of those rules.

Meanwhile, in Threads, the link instantly disappeared when pasted into a new post, with a note that simply said: “Link not allowed.”

On Instagram, a notification appeared after trying to post a story: “We’re restricting certain activity to protect our community. Tell us if you think we made a mistake.”

When asked about the ban, Meta spokesman Andy Stone directed WIRED to company policy About Sharing Personally Identifiable Information. When WIRED pointed out that the information on ICE’s list did not appear to contain any of the information listed in Meta’s policy, he said it related to the policy that prohibits “content that requests personally identifiable information about others.”

In response, Skinner noted that ICE List had been asking for tips about the identities of ICE agents for six months.