Mike Masnick writes:
Earlier this month, we wrote about the DEA’s decision to set up a fake profile of a woman who was charged in a case related to drug dealing. The DEA argued that the woman’s “consent” to using evidence from her seized cell phone in their investigation included allowing them to (without telling her) set up a Facebook profile in her name, post pictures of hers and other children (from the phone) and “friend” people that the woman knew in real life, in an effort to get more evidence in the drug case. After the story got attention, thanks to a Buzzfeed article, the DOJ said it will “review the practice” of creating such fake Facebook profiles (implying this isn’t the only one).
Facebook itself has now stepped into the fracas, noting that the DEA’s actions are a “knowing and serious breach” of the site’s policies, and that those policies still apply to the government.
Read more on TechDirt.