Meta said that while sharing this information has its benefits — especially for journalism and public discourse — it can also be misused for doxing.
What are Publicly Available Addresses?
The social media platforms that Meta operates have privacy policies in place which prevent the sharing of private addresses. However, both Facebook and Instagram’s policies make an exception for publicly available addresses. The company describes these as addresses which have been published in at least five news outlets (or have been made available in public records). This exception was not without controversy, as it created a rift between the company’s stance on voice and safety. In a blog post, Meta stated: “Access to residential addresses can be an important tool for journalism, civic activism, and other public discourse. However, exposing this information without consent can also create a risk to an individual’s safety and infringe on privacy.” Meta turned to its Oversight Board for guidance on the issue last year, and received their recommendations this February. Now, the tech giant has revealed that it will be making certain changes in line with the Board’s recommendations.
Publicly Available Address Exception to be Removed
Meta says it will now remove the exception for publicly available addresses on its platform. Even though this information will be available outside of its platforms, Meta expects the move to strengthen its own privacy protections. However, there will be certain cases when sharing images of the outside of residences is allowed. For example, it will not take any action if “the property depicted is the focus of a news story.” Here, users cannot share these images if they plan to organize a protest at the location. Users can also share such pictures of “publicly-owned” residences which belong to high-ranking members of government. Furthermore, users are allowed to protest outside these kinds of residences.
Meta Not Committing to New Privacy Violation Reporting Tools
However, Meta has not accepted all of the Board’s recommendations on the matter. The Board recommended implementing a quick and simple mechanism for users to report violations. Meta said it would consider this recommendation and is currently testing out new and easier reporting tools. The company said it will implement the announced changes by the end of the year. These changes are expected to add an additional level of protection against doxing — an intimidation or harassment tactic where individuals publish personal information about their victims online without their consent. This personal data can also be found after data breaches, such as with the Yandex Eats breach earlier this month. Personal information like this can also be used to commit more serious crimes, such as swatting.
