Meta has reportedly said yes to making alterations in its Doxxing policy upon the recommendations given by the Oversight Board.
The news isn’t a major surprise for many as the company had requested the board last year in June for help in their policy and it seems the response is being appreciated as changes are on the rise.
In February of this year, the board sent out a detailed list of 17 recommendations that they felt could help the company make its policy less difficult. And Meta is now currently in the process of doing just that.
For those who may not be aware, Meta is not enforced to take up the advice offered by the Oversight Board, unless it pertains to a particular post being added or removed. However, the company is obliged to provide responses to recommendations offered by the board.
As far as changes are concerned, one of the most significant ones is the company ending the exception previously allotted to users putting up their residential details, in case you could find it elsewhere in public records. But the Oversight Board felt there was a huge difference in getting data publicly through a request as compared to a post on a social media account.
The company recently announced the change in public, mentioning how the new implementation would limit the availability of private residential details through both Facebook and Instagram. But it did feel strongly that it was the right decision because it would assist in making the platform’s privacy stronger. And it also spoke about how users could see it being implemented as early as this year.
Similarly, another change brought forward by Meta included allowing users to post images of the exterior of their private homes, in cases when the primary focus of the story is the property itself. But it would still not allow it in those cases where it is done to gather protests against one particular user.
On the other hand, it was interesting to note how the company has also now said yes to sharing addresses belonging to high-profile officials with government links, in case the property in question is owned by the public. They also gave an example of residences used by ambassadors or heads of state for better clarity on the subject.
The main aim is to assist those users who are clear targets for harassment, while other changes are designed to allow information sharing in reference to news or protests relating to a certain elected member.
Other recommendations put forward by the Board included a change in the way that users report any privacy breaches and also an alteration in how these matters are potentially handled by the company internally.
In context to that, Meta responded how it was already dealing with simpler strategies for similar reports as in the past, users had to go through two menus and then look for a privacy violation. Now, however, that option appears directly. Moreover, the company also hopes to have the results of its trial by this month and will then decide when to make it a permanent part of its policy.
Meta was bold about how it couldn’t move ahead with a recommendation by the board about making a new channel for enhanced communication that was solely for doxxing victims. But it did hope to soon add more live chat features for assistance.
The company was also not in favor of the recommendation about labeling doxing as a violation so severe that it could cause temporary suspension of a user. But it did hope to find a more suitable approach to incorporate the suggestion.
Read next: Zuckerberg Just Revealed a VR Office for Remote Workers, Spoiler Alert: It’s Awful
The news isn’t a major surprise for many as the company had requested the board last year in June for help in their policy and it seems the response is being appreciated as changes are on the rise.
In February of this year, the board sent out a detailed list of 17 recommendations that they felt could help the company make its policy less difficult. And Meta is now currently in the process of doing just that.
For those who may not be aware, Meta is not enforced to take up the advice offered by the Oversight Board, unless it pertains to a particular post being added or removed. However, the company is obliged to provide responses to recommendations offered by the board.
As far as changes are concerned, one of the most significant ones is the company ending the exception previously allotted to users putting up their residential details, in case you could find it elsewhere in public records. But the Oversight Board felt there was a huge difference in getting data publicly through a request as compared to a post on a social media account.
The company recently announced the change in public, mentioning how the new implementation would limit the availability of private residential details through both Facebook and Instagram. But it did feel strongly that it was the right decision because it would assist in making the platform’s privacy stronger. And it also spoke about how users could see it being implemented as early as this year.
Similarly, another change brought forward by Meta included allowing users to post images of the exterior of their private homes, in cases when the primary focus of the story is the property itself. But it would still not allow it in those cases where it is done to gather protests against one particular user.
On the other hand, it was interesting to note how the company has also now said yes to sharing addresses belonging to high-profile officials with government links, in case the property in question is owned by the public. They also gave an example of residences used by ambassadors or heads of state for better clarity on the subject.
The main aim is to assist those users who are clear targets for harassment, while other changes are designed to allow information sharing in reference to news or protests relating to a certain elected member.
Other recommendations put forward by the Board included a change in the way that users report any privacy breaches and also an alteration in how these matters are potentially handled by the company internally.
In context to that, Meta responded how it was already dealing with simpler strategies for similar reports as in the past, users had to go through two menus and then look for a privacy violation. Now, however, that option appears directly. Moreover, the company also hopes to have the results of its trial by this month and will then decide when to make it a permanent part of its policy.
Meta was bold about how it couldn’t move ahead with a recommendation by the board about making a new channel for enhanced communication that was solely for doxxing victims. But it did hope to soon add more live chat features for assistance.
The company was also not in favor of the recommendation about labeling doxing as a violation so severe that it could cause temporary suspension of a user. But it did hope to find a more suitable approach to incorporate the suggestion.
Read next: Zuckerberg Just Revealed a VR Office for Remote Workers, Spoiler Alert: It’s Awful
