You may have noticed over the past 24 hours or so that a bunch of your mates on Facebook who definitely do not live in North Dakota and probably did not manage to travel there in the two hours since you last saw them are checking in at Standing Rock Indian Reservation.
What’s it all about? It’s actually an act of solidarity with protesters over in the United States who are protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline – a proposed oil pipeline which could have devastating impact on the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe‘s water supply and sacred sites. It’s been a point of contention for some time, amplified recently with increased police presence on-site, and more aggressive tactics from officers:
Cops are alleged to have used beanbag guns and tear gas on protesters, and there is heavy riot police presence. It seems particularly galling that a Native American protest is being so violently disrupted mere days after a Oregon militia were cleared of all charges after staging an armed capture of federal land only days prior. There’s clearly a difference in approach when it comes to Native Americans.
Jingle Dress dancers took to the front line at Standing Rock in North Dakota Saturday. Police sat in armored vehicles 150 yrds away. #NoDAPLpic.twitter.com/53yTA7WFbZ
At some point, a rumour spread locally among protesters that police were using Facebook to identify protesters based on who had checked in at Standing Rock. To counteract this, they asked supporters of their protest to check in on Facebook – regardless of where they are in the world – to interrupt the police action.
Is that would police are actually doing, and would it work? Snopes got in contact with the local police force, who denied that they would – or even could – use Facebook for that:
We contacted the department about the rumor, and an officer explained not only that they were not using Facebook check-ins as a gauge of anything, but that the metric presented no intelligence value to them. The rumor suggested that protesters cited Facebook check-ins as a manner in which police could target them, but check-ins were voluntary — and if police were using geolocation tools based on mobile devices, remote check-ins would not confuse or overwhelm them.
As loathe as I am to believe cops, they’re probably right – check-in data in this case is pretty useless, and they’ve no doubt got more precise means of geolocation. But it’s not about that: it’s about showing solidarity with a protest over native land rights.
Their concerns are very, very valid – The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) reported more than 3,300 incidents of leaks and ruptures at oil and gas pipelines since 2010. A single leak could pollute the tribes water supply. They also argue that the federal government did not properly consult them during the planning process.
And what option do they have but to protest? Even Hillary Clinton – the supposed ‘progressive’ candidate – isn’t on their side. In a statement she said that both sides need to “find a path forward that serves the broadest public interest”, which is pragmatic progressive doublespeak for “tire yourself out, then let the damn pipe go through”.
The US government has, in writing, committed itself to ‘government-to-government’ relationships with local tribes, on equal footing. This is another case of them running roughshod over concerns from Native Americans – so it’s no surprise people want to show solidarity.
But hey: if you want to help out in a way that is actually material, throw a few bucks to their crowdsourced legal fund.
