away with sharing objectionable posts only with
like-minded friends. While a racist or threatening
post in a secret group may be less likely to be
reported by other members, Facebook has a
variety of tools, including artificial intelligence,
that can detect some violations anyway.
The system is far from perfect, though. For
example, while Facebook uses AI to proactively
find nudity, graphic violence and terrorist
propaganda and a host of other things, its
systems are not sophisticated enough yet to
catch nuance, context and satire.
WHAT IS FACEBOOK DOING ABOUT THE
BORDER PATROL GROUP?
Facebook said it is cooperating with federal
authorities on their investigation of the matter.
It did not respond to questions about whether
any of the posts on the secret Border Patrol
group — called “I’m 10-15” in a reference to
Border Patrol code for “aliens in custody” —
violated its standards.
The group has roughly 9,500 members,
according to ProPublica. It featured a variety of
crude and offensive posts.
Some were graphic, doctored images of Ocasio-
Cortez, including one that showed a smiling
President Donald Trump forcing her head
toward his crotch. Other comments referred to
Democrats Ocasio-Cortez of New York and U.S.
Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas as “hoes”; one
member encouraged agents to throw a “burrito
at these bitches” when they visited migrant
detention camps.
Others joked about the deaths of migrants in
various ways.