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Amnesty International's 'Trial by Timeline' scans Facebook, maps out your crimes across the globe

Amnesty International's 'Trial by Timeline' scans Facebook, maps out your crimes across the globe

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Trial by Timeline Facebook
Trial by Timeline Facebook

In an effort to highlight the harsh and stringent laws that many people around the world contend with, Amnesty International has rolled out a tool that analyzes your Facebook profile for potential "crimes" under international law. It's called Trial by Timeline, and aside from laying out which crimes you'd be guilty of (and where), the Facebook web app also lists punishments that accompany such convictions. It's been developed by Amnesty International in New Zealand, a country the organization refers to as among the freest on Earth.

The results are chilling: working for a media outlet led to me being "killed by extremists" in nine countries including Iraq and Mexico, for example. Because my religion isn't specified on Facebook, Trial by Timeline assumed that I'm atheist and thus found me "guilty" of blasphemy in Afghanistan — an offense punishable by torture.

In total, Amnesty International says I'd face 86 convictions for 4 crimes in 42 countries across the globe. The human rights organization says I'd endure dozens of beatings, torture sessions, prison terms, and nine instances of death. The results you'll see obviously depend on how much of your life is visible to Facebook — and the app does request quite a few permissions — but even those with minimal details exposed will likely manage to violate a law somewhere. The effort is somewhat sensationalistic, but still serves as an effective reminder that freedoms we often take for granted aren't extended the world over.