Meta has agreed to change some of its rules in response to recommendations from the Oversight Board. The company first asked the Oversight Board to help shape its rules last June, and the board followed up with 17 recommendations for the company in February.
Meta is free to completely ignore policy proposals from the Oversight Board, but it is required to respond to each recommendation individually.
Meta agreed to end an exception to its rules that allowed users to post private residential information if it was publicly available. There was a difference between obtaining data from a public records request and a social media post, according to the Oversight Board.
Meta agreed to remove the exception from its policy.
The company agreed to relax its policy on another issue after ending one exception. When the property depicted is the focus of the news story, except when shared in the context of organizing protests against the resident, Meta said users would be able to share photos of the exterior of private homes.
The policy changes could have a significant impact for people facing harassment, while also allowing some information to be shared in the context of news stories or protests against elected officials.
The board recommended that Meta change the way that privacy violations are reported by users. Meta is experimenting with a simpler method for reporting privacy intrusions. Previously, users had to click through two menus and manually search for privacy violation, but now the option will appear without the extra search. Meta said it will have results from the experiment later this month, when it will decide whether to make the change permanent.
Meta decided not to make another change that would make it easier for victims to get help. The company said that it wouldn't act on a recommendation that it create a specific channel of communications for victims of doxing regardless of whether they are Facebook users. Meta noted that it is already piloting some live chat help features, but cannot commit to building a doxing specific channel.
The board recommendation that doxxing should be categorized as a severe violation resulted in a temporary suspension. The company said it was assessing the feasibility of the suggestion and exploring ways to incorporate elements of it.
In addition to the substance of the policy changes, Meta's response to the Oversight Board in this case is notable because it is the first time the company had asked for a policy advisory opinion. The board can impact the underlying policies by weighing in on moderation decisions. Meta can ask for help shaping broader rules like it did with doxxing. The company wants to create rules around its cross check system.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
