I'm always interested in tips re fraud, waste, abuse, shenanigans, & sketchiness ongoing in the tech world. Get in touch: cfarivar@forbes.com or +1-341-758-0888 (Signal/WhatsApp)
The ‘BumsNDrones” account featured video encounters with homeless people set to music. After this story published, Instagram and Facebook removed it as well.A man walks past tents housing the homeless on the streets in the Skid Row community of Los Angeles, California on April 26, 2021.
BumsNDrones, a social media account which publishes aggressively shot drone videos of people experiencing homelessness online has been banned by two major social media platforms. On Wednesday, TikTok and YouTube suspended the account for policy violations after a Forbes inquiry. “We terminated the channels in question for violating YouTube’s community guidelines, which prohibit stalking and other forms of harassment,” Javier Hernandez, a YouTube spokesperson, toldThe account remains available on Facebook and Instagram where it has more than 1 million followers. “After review, we removed the accounts due to violating our policies,” Meta spokesperson Erin McPike said in an email toOperated by Henry “Hank” Borunda, of Pueblo, Colorado, the accounts traffic in videos of people forced to live on the street. Set to music seemingly for mocking effect, Borunda’s TikTok videos had hundreds of thousands of views at the time they were removed; one had as many as 9.9 million. BumsNDrones has 1.2 million followers on Instagram, nearly 11,000 on YouTube and about 5,000 on Facebook. These videos, advocates for the unhoused and drone experts say, likely constitute harassment and are potentially in violation of aviation law. One video posted earlier this month to Instagram depicts a man on a park bench struggling to fend off a drone that repeatedly approaches him. It is set to an orchestral performance of “Mexican Standoff.”inquiry to his Instagram account, writing that he “didn’t know what to say.” Some of his followers interpreted this as an invitation to make insulting and snide comments sent by Instagram and text messages to, Borunda claimed he was trying to “shine a light on how people are actually living among us.” The goal of his videos, he said, was to “inspire change.”“This type of harassment of people experiencing homelessness is clearly done in an effort to shame and embarrass the unhoused community by trying to capture them at the very worst moments or at moments when they are feeling and behaving hopeless because of their situation,” Cathy Alderman, a spokesperson for the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, told. “Unfortunately, for people being harassed in this way, it is difficult for individuals to do anything to stop it without the assistance of law enforcement.”that forbids flying over humans unless certain conditions are met, such as the drone being small enough to not injure anyone were it to fall, and that its rotors not be able to cut anyone that it ran into. A cannabis dispensary owner turned real estate developer, Borunda is currently being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration for unauthorized drone operation.that while the agency does not have criminal prosecution authority, it can suspend and revoke pilots certificates and levy fines in excess of $30,000 for unsafe operation. Wednesday’s take down marks the second time that Borunda’s account has been removed from TikTok – a previous iteration of the account was taken down in September 2022,
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Questions Raised About Mayor's Authority to Remove Confederate MonumentNewly obtained documents raise questions about the legal authority of Mayor Donna Deegan to order the removal of the Confederate monument in Springfield Park.
Read more »
UCLA, UC Riverside students petition to remove Starbucks from campusesStudents plan to deliver petitions with more than 1,500 signatures to the two universities this week.
Read more »
U.S. Supreme Court sounds skeptical of efforts to remove Trump from 2024 ballotMontgomery, Alabama
Read more »
‘Over Time the Trust Will Come’: An Exclusive Interview With TikTok’s CEOA few weeks ago, Shou Zi Chew sat down with WIRED to tell us how he’s trying to make TikTok better. Is the company’s CEO for real—or just a really good politician?
Read more »
26 Best (TikTok-Approved!) Makeup Brands for TeensYou'll officially be the cool mom for knowing about these.
Read more »
Bipartisan bill to remove funding from Ogden PD if it continues ‘illegal quota’Adam focuses on large-scale investigations that increase transparency and accountability in Utah. His role at the station is to identify and investigate impactful stories that provide essential journalism to the community.
Read more »