Facebook users ‘check in’ at Dakota Access pipeline protest to throw off authorities

Update (Nov. 1): On Monday, Morton County Sheriff’s officials stated they are not using Facebook to track protesters.

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Facebook users far and wide are checking in at the site of ongoing Dakota Access pipeline protests in a show of solidarity and in an attempt to confuse authorities.

Thousands of people, regardless of their location, have checked in at Standing Rock Indian Reservation, following pleas for help from those on the ground.

READ MORE: Dakota Access pipeline protesters accuse authorities of jamming cellphone signals

“The Morton County Sheriff’s Department has been using Facebook check-ins to find out who is at Standing Rock in order to target them in attempts to disrupt the prayer camps,” reads a widely shared Facebook message.

“So Water Protecters are calling on EVERYONE to check-in at Standing Rock, ND to overwhelm and confuse them. This is concrete action that can protect people putting their bodies and well-beings on the line that we can do without leaving our homes.

“Will you join me in Standing Rock?”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Will you join me in Standing Rock?"

It’s unclear if officials have been using Facebook as a tool to track protesters, but the check-ins have continued nonetheless.

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The new pipeline is set to stretch from North Dakota through to Illinois, passing through four states and 50 counties in total, transporting approximately 450,000 barrels of crude a day.

A months-long protest has been waged against the pipeline, with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe at the heart of the fight. The Native Americans say the pipeline will desecrate sacred land and potentially contaminate water supplies.

READ MORE: Standing Rock standoff: Judge denies tribe’s request to stop construction

The protests have swelled into a movement, with high-profile support.

Actor Shailene Woodley livestreamed her arrest at the pipeline, and was charged with trespassing. She later revealed she was strip searched after her arrest.

The protests have also drawn a windfall of monetary support, with a crowdsourcing effort pulling in more than $1 million. The money collected will be used for food and supplies for protesters, as well as legal efforts.

More than 400 protesters have been arested as clashes have become increasingly violent.

The Texas-based company building the pipeline, Energy Transfer Partners, insists the project is safe. The tribe is fighting the pipeline’s permitting process in federal court.

With files from the Associated Press