Standing Rock protesters worry police watching Facebook check-ins
Local police department denies monitoring social media site for visits by protesters
Protesters of the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota believe that police are using Facebook to track who is at the Sacred Stone camp, which is near the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe reservation.
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Over the weekend, a message was shared on Facebook urging people to falsely check in at Standing Rock, which they believe will throw off police.
Since being posted, thousands of people have checked in at Standing Rock.
The Sacred Stone Camp could not be reached for comment on the origin of the initial post accusing the police of tracking protesters online. It's difficult to identify the writer of the post since it's been shared so many times in different formats.
Since the post first began making the rounds, the act of checking in at Standing Rock on Facebook has become a way for people from across the world to show allegiance with the protesters.
On the Sacred Stone Camp website, they list other ways people can help the camp, which includes sending donations to the Sacred Stone Go Fund Me and the Sacred Stone Legal Defence Fund.