""Scrolling through social media during a work break, Alexandra realized she was going to lose her new job. An X account with over 500,000 followers had reposted a screenshot of a Facebook post she'd made about slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk. "You log onto Twitter and you see half a million people following a page, including Elon Musk. They're saying, you better fire this person," said Alexandra. "I knew that they were going to fire me because of the pressure by the mob.""
"Less than three hours after the X post about her, Alexandra's employer fired her via email. There was no conversation, Alexandra said. She had started the cybersecurity job just two weeks before. And then there were the threats. One user on Facebook asked Alexandra how she liked an Italian restaurant across the street from where she lives in New York City, a sign that someone had tracked down her address and possibly other personal information."
Alexandra's Facebook post about Charlie Kirk was reposted by an X account with over 500,000 followers that also named her employer. Less than three hours after the repost, her employer fired her by email; she had started the cybersecurity job two weeks earlier and had no prior conversation about the matter. Subsequent online posts included references to locations near her apartment, suggesting her address had been found. Threats and safety concerns forced Alexandra to stay with friends for days. Multiple people lost jobs over posts about Kirk's death, and observers say such campaigns increasingly target employment and gain power from prominent amplifiers.
Read at www.npr.org
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]