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HIV data leak: Brochez’s Facebook accounts removed for violating privacy, bullying policies

SINGAPORE — American fraudster Mikhy K Farrera Brochez’s Facebook accounts have been taken down, along with several posts containing allegations against Singapore authorities and the prison doctor who treated him.

TODAY understands that Facebook removed Brochez’s two accounts — one under “Mikhy Brochez” and another under “Michael Brochez” — because of the severity of policy violations he had committed.

TODAY understands that Facebook removed Brochez’s two accounts — one under “Mikhy Brochez” and another under “Michael Brochez” — because of the severity of policy violations he had committed.

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SINGAPORE — American fraudster Mikhy K Farrera Brochez’s Facebook accounts have been taken down, along with several posts containing allegations against Singapore authorities and the prison doctor who treated him

TODAY understands that Facebook removed Brochez’s two accounts — one under “Mikhy Brochez” and another under “Michael Brochez” — because of the severity of policy violations he had committed, and the potential for offline harm through the sharing of personal medical records. The removal was not due to a government request.

Responding to TODAY’s queries, a Facebook spokesman said on Thursday (Feb 14): “We want everyone using Facebook to feel safe. That’s why we have Community Standards which outline what stays up and what comes down. Under these policies, we remove content or accounts that share medical information on others, and any content that poses a credible threat of harm to others.”

The spokesperson added that the consequences of breaching its community standards vary, depending on the severity of the breach.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) said last month that Brochez had leaked the confidential records of 14,200 individuals with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), along with 2,400 of their contacts, with information spanning almost three decades from 1985 up to January 2013.

Brochez had posted a string of Facebook posts on Wednesday morning (Feb 13), including claiming that he was sexually assaulted in prison, which resulted in him contracting HIV, and that he was denied medication for the virus.

The authorities refuted his allegations.

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It is understood that Brochez’s accounts had violated Facebook’s privacy policy by sharing medical information on others, as well as the social media network’s bullying policy, which does not allow claims of sexual activity with named private individuals.

Brochez said that one of his posts on the “Mikhy Brochez” account was removed on Wednesday for breaching Facebook’s community standards, a few hours after he posted it.

He then re-posted it on another Facebook account by the name “Michael Brochez”, before that was also taken down.

Shortly after, his original post reappeared on his first account. Both accounts were then removed on Thursday.

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