Civic News

Philly D.A. Seth Williams to Mark Zuckerberg: ‘You are contributing to the culture of intimidation that exists in this city’

Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams asked Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to take down the page of a user who Williams said is using the social network to intimidate a witness, the Philadelphia Inquirer, among several other local news outlets, reported. Williams sent a strongly-worded letter to Zuckerberg after his office sent multiple requests to Facebook […]

Philly District Attorney Seth Williams has had problems with social media being used for witness intimidation in the past.
Philly District Attorney Seth Williams

Philly District Attorney Seth Williams. Photo credit: Philly.com

Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams asked Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to take down the page of a user who Williams said is using the social network to intimidate a witness, the Philadelphia Inquirer, among several other local news outlets, reported.

Williams sent a strongly-worded letter to Zuckerberg after his office sent multiple requests to Facebook to take the page down, the Inquirer reported.

“By ignoring our pleas and continuing to allow these images on your website, you are contributing to the culture of intimidation and fear that exist in this city, where witness intimidation permeates our neighborhoods and courtrooms,” Williams wrote. CBS Philly posted the letter here [pdf].

Read the whole Inquirer story here.

Both Twitter and Google have reported increases in government requests for removals, as well as data. Check out the Twitter Transparency Report and the Google Transparency Report. Facebook has not released a transparency report, as far as we can tell.

Companies: Facebook / Google / X (formerly Twitter)

Before you go...

Please consider supporting Technical.ly to keep our independent journalism strong. Unlike most business-focused media outlets, we don’t have a paywall. Instead, we count on your personal and organizational support.

3 ways to support our work:
  • Contribute to the Journalism Fund. Charitable giving ensures our information remains free and accessible for residents to discover workforce programs and entrepreneurship pathways. This includes philanthropic grants and individual tax-deductible donations from readers like you.
  • Use our Preferred Partners. Our directory of vetted providers offers high-quality recommendations for services our readers need, and each referral supports our journalism.
  • Use our services. If you need entrepreneurs and tech leaders to buy your services, are seeking technologists to hire or want more professionals to know about your ecosystem, Technical.ly has the biggest and most engaged audience in the mid-Atlantic. We help companies tell their stories and answer big questions to meet and serve our community.
The journalism fund Preferred partners Our services
Engagement

Join our growing Slack community

Join 5,000 tech professionals and entrepreneurs in our community Slack today!

Trending

Meet the contenders: Vote for the winners of Philly’s 2024 Technical.ly Awards 

SEPTA riders complain of more bus cancellations. Here’s why that’s a good thing for Philly transit.

How an experienced entrepreneur learned ‘every facet of business’ by challenging herself

What a second Trump administration means for local startup ecosystems

Technically Media