"Kill Obama" Facebook Poll Investigated By Secret Service

[Mbonea]

September 29, 2009

Shirika la ujasusi la Marekani limeanzisha uchunguzi kuwatafuta watu waliozindua kura za maoni kwenye mtandao wa Facebook wakijadili kuuliwa kwa rais wa Marekani, Barack Obama.

Mtandao wa Facebook jana jumatatu ulizifunga kura za maoni zilizozinduliwa kwenye mtandao huo na watu wasiojulikana wakijadili kuuliwa kwa Obama.

Kura hizo za maoni zilikuwa na kichwa cha habari kinachosema "Je Obama Auliwe?" na kulikuwa na majibu manne yaliyopendekezwa ambayo yalikuwa ni "Ndio, Hapana, Labda na 'Kama akikata bima zangu za afya'".

"Wakati tulipogundua kura hizo za maoni, tuliwasiliana na Facebook kutaka ziondolewe" alisema msemaji wa shirika la ujasusi la Marekani, Malcolm Wiley alipokuwa akiongea na shirika la habari la AFP.

"Tunendelea na uchunguzi kama ambavyo huwa tunafanya kwa kesi zingine za vitisho vya maisha yake".

Zaidi ya watumiaji 750 wa Facebook walishiriki kwenye kura hizo za maoni hadi wakati programu ya kura hizo za maoni ilipoondolewa kwenye Facebook.

"Hii inasikitisha sana", aliandika mtumiaji mmoja wa Facebook anayejiita Cocoa Fly wakati kura hizo za maoni zilipoanza kujipatia umaarufu wa ghafla kwenye Facebook kabla ya kuondolewa.

"Harakati zote hizi za kumpinga Obama zimejaa ubaguzi tu" aliandika Cocoa Fly.

Programu ya kura hizo za maoni iliandaliwa mwishoni mwa wiki na kisha kuwekwa kwenye Facebook kupitia programu nyingine ambayo huwapa nafasi watumiaji wa Facebook kuandaa kura zao za maoni kuhusiana na kitu chochote kile.

Facebook iliamua kuifunga programu nzima ya kutoa maoni ili kuepukana na kura za maoni za Obama na ilisema kwamba programu hiyo itaendelea kufungiwa mpaka wamiliki wake watakapoihakikishia Facebook kwamba imeziondoa kura za maoni zenye kuleta mfarakano na itarekebisha miundombinu yake kuepuka watu wengine kuingiza programu zao za kura za maoni yenye utata kupitia programu hiyo.

Source: AFP

 

[Invisible]

The U.S. Secret Service is investigating an online survey that asked whether people thought President Barack Obama should be assassinated, officials said Monday.

The poll, posted Saturday on Facebook, was taken off the popular social networking site quickly after company officials were alerted to its existence. But, like any threat against the president, Secret Service agents are taking no chances.

"We are aware of it and we will take the appropriate investigative steps," said Darrin Blackford, a Secret Service spokesman. "We take of these things seriously."

The poll asked respondents "Should Obama be killed?" The choices: No, Maybe, Yes, and Yes if he cuts my health care.

The question was not created by Facebook, but by an independent person using an add-on application that has been suspended from the site.

"The third-party application that enabled an individual user to create the offensive poll was brought to our attention this morning," said Barry Schnitt, Facebook's spokesman for policy.

Because the application was disabled, the responses to the nonscientific polls are not available.

"We're working with the U.S. Secret Service, but they'll need to provide any details of their investigation," Schnitt said.

See a screen shot of the poll below:

Meanwhile,

Reports this:

By David G. Savage

Facebook moved quickly Monday to take down a user's poll that asked "Should Obama be killed?", but only after 730 responses were submitted.

The poll listed four possible answers: Yes. Maybe. If he cuts my health care. No.

A spokesman for Facebook said the Palo Alto-based company was not aware of the poll until early Monday morning and did not know who posted it or who responded to it.

"At this time, we don't know," said Barry Schnitt, a spokesman for policy at Facebook. "But we assume the developer has some or all of this information."

Schnitt said a "third party developer" had created the platform on Facebook that allows individuals to create their own polls. The questions are often silly and trivial, he said.

The Secret Service confirmed it has launched an investigation of the Facebook poll to learn who was behind it and their intent.

"We worked with Facebook to take it down, and we are currently investigating the matter," said Ed Donovan, a Secret Service spokesman in Washington. Asked about who posted the poll, Donovan replied: "That's what we are investigating."

It is a crime to threaten the life of the president, and the Secret Service said that it regularly investigates threatening comments or disturbing incidents involving words or images of the chief executive. But officials also say tasteless comments or idle bluster are probably are not enough to trigger legal action.

Facebook viewers had their quick own response Monday. A second poll was launched asking whether the creator of the first poll should be arrested.

 

[Nyani Ngabu]

Kila raisi wa Marekani huwaga anapata hivi vitisho tisho kwa hiyo msianze mambo yenu ya kulialia ubaguzi hapa. Reagan bado kidogo apoteze maisha kwa kutunguliwa risasi