Facebook will not help Donald Trump to build database of Muslim inmigrants

NEW YORK: Social media giant Facebook has joined Twitter to say no to President-elect Donald Trump in his reported plan to reinstate a database of immigrants from Muslim- majority countries.

Mark Zuckerberg-led Facebook confirmed it will not help the government build a Muslim registry. The news comes as more tech workers speak out against policies floated by the Trump administration. “No one has asked us to build a Muslim registry, and of course we would not do so,” a Fa Facebook spokesperson was quoted as saying by CNN Money.

Of the nine major tech giants, including Facebook, Apple and Google, only Twitter had earlier declined to help if Trump sought to create a national Muslim registry. Social media companies may not intend to create databases, but data brokers have long compiled information about how users browse the internet.

Ethnicity and religious affiliation

A 2014 Federal Trade Commission report found that these companies can profile users by race,  ethnicity and religious affiliation, among other characteristics. During his campaign, President-elect Trump proposed building a database of Muslims in the US. He later emphasised plans to look into deporting millions of illegal immigrants.

Meanwhile, hundreds of tech workers have signed another pledge, NeverAgain.tech, to never build a database of people based on race or religion. It also promises to advocate for ethical data collection within their companies, the report said. Earlier this week, 22 advocacy groups — led by social change network CREDO — sent letters to eight technology companies asking them to speak out against building a Muslim registry.

Last month, top Democratic lawmakers and rights bodies have slammed Trump’s reported plan to reinstate a database of immigrants from Muslim-majority countries.

National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS) is a post-9/11 programme which required travellers to the US from specified Muslim-majority countries to immediately register with the federal government or face deportation.

Source: The Economic Times