Arrest warrant issued for ex-Florida data scientist Rebekah Jones

There’s a lot of talk in this thread of whether Jones is a data scientist or not, but that talk is missing something crucial - it doesn’t take a data scientist to assemble basic reports about infection rates and mortality. Little to none of what differentiates “data scientist” from “data analyst” or “statistician” is involved in these reports. There is no massive data, no black-box modeling, really no new statistics at all - this stuff is well defined, except for the data itself.<p>The main choice points are around specific decisions with regards to how interpret messy data. Those decisions require domain expertise and a deep familiarity with how various public agencies in Florida work. Perhaps Jones has that expertise, perhaps she doesn’t. A title of “data scientists” doesn’t change that.

&gt;After she was fired, Jones started her own online COVID-19 dashboard. But she said Saturday that she may no longer be allowed access to computers, the internet or other electronic devices as a condition of her release from jail pending trial.<p>In the modern day, with so much that is online or involving computers, this should be considered unjust punishment, the likes of which should be reserved only for <i>child molesters</i>.<p>Not speaking to the rest of the story. However, this by itself troubles me.

What a weird story that keeps getting weirder.<p>I am a data scientist who spent June in Tallahassee helping coordinate state-wide COVID testing with FDEM (Florida Department of Emergency Management) and state health officials.<p>Everyone I worked with was pretty dedicated to getting the roll out right (including the governor and his appointees too..)<p>My data &amp; work was spread far and wide with no issue - but just a personal anecdote

Anyone has the facts, that are out about this, subject noted to share? Too much speculations and armchair opinions re floating around.

The previous allegation against her was something that would make her the hero even if she was guilty. It was a charge of &quot;making good trouble&quot;, albeit one that would put her away for a long time under the CFAA.

How many other instances are out there where authorities &quot;can&#x27;t say what someone is charged with&quot; until they&#x27;re in custody. This smells like a CYA deal with DeSantis and his partisan bungling of the COVID crisis.

Is there any way in which people can help her here?

CBS includes an additional detail:<p><i>&quot;Florida Department of Law Enforcement officials said Rebekah Jones has been under investigation since early November after someone illegally accessed the state’s emergency alert health system....&quot;</i><p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.msn.com&#x2F;en-us&#x2F;news&#x2F;crime&#x2F;e2-80-98censored-by-the-state-of-florida-e2-80-99-fired-covid-19-data-scientist-rebekah-jones-tweets-on-day-she-is-set-to-turn-self-in-to-face-new-charge&#x2F;ar-BB1cPLDu" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.msn.com&#x2F;en-us&#x2F;news&#x2F;crime&#x2F;e2-80-98censored-by-the...</a>

What is the law that sending an anonymous messages saying &quot;be a hero&quot; breaks? It seems at worst to be spam and a raid for spamming a small number of people seems very heavy handed...

She&#x27;s been released it seems, but has been &quot;Censored by the state of Florida until further notice.&quot; according to her twitter feed.<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;twitter.com&#x2F;GeoRebekah&#x2F;status&#x2F;1350862633264672772" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;twitter.com&#x2F;GeoRebekah&#x2F;status&#x2F;1350862633264672772</a>

They have her ip address [1]. It is super easy to prosecute with her ip address marked on the sent message. I feel bad for her, but, why hand the prosecution so much (use a vpn)? This is like driving drunk with your headlights off. At this point, she will have to plead out.<p>&quot;An affidavit for the warrant claims that an unauthorized message sent from a state emergency management account on Nov. 10 was traced to an IP address associated with Jones.&quot;<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.usatoday.com&#x2F;story&#x2F;news&#x2F;nation&#x2F;2020&#x2F;12&#x2F;09&#x2F;raid-florida-doh-rebekah-jones-home-reaction&#x2F;6505149002&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.usatoday.com&#x2F;story&#x2F;news&#x2F;nation&#x2F;2020&#x2F;12&#x2F;09&#x2F;raid-f...</a>

This is an obviously politically motivated use of state violence, and I hope this case goes in her favor.

DeSantis couldn&#x27;t do a better job of turning her into a hero and himself into a villain.<p>What do you think will come next? I see her winning a lawsuit against him or some part of the state.

Political persecution of public interest dissidents at its finest.

This weekend I heard directly from a current DOT employee, formerly Dept Of Health, in the FL capitol:<p>&quot;We were just following the WHO recommendations.&quot;<p>&quot;She&#x27;s just a web developer and doesn&#x27;t understand anything about the numbers.&quot;

I’m seeing a lot of people posting conspiracy theories here and on social media. I wonder what makes this instance exceptional...

Does this news makes you nervous about moving to Florida?

This comment thread is an example of social media at its absolute worst. Have an opinion? Big deal, everyone has an opinion. My advice is to keep it to yourself.

If a judge issued a warrant for her arrest there must be something there. So idk. Suppose it could still be selective enforcement.

From the gofundme:<p>“ Lawyer&#x27;s fees, private investigators, an armed security guard for my home since the police published my home address and contact information online, moving expenses so my family can get out of the Governor&#x27;s reach, and any costs associated with this fight that I may not be anticipating. My family and I will need to move and get set up in a new place.”<p>Holy hell it’s like she pulled a Snowden or something. All she did was be good at her job and tell the truth. Just another reason for me to never live in Florida.

While the State has handled this case wrong, she is <i>not</i> innocent in this. She made a bunch of drama about her interpretation of the data, which was, at best, no better than the State&#x27;s method, and more likely, she was flat-out wrong. She is mostly a drama queen making a crazy mess.