Today, the Oversight Board selected a case referred by Facebook that is a policy advisory opinion regarding how we handle the sharing of private resid

Oversight Board Selects a PAO on Sharing Residential Information

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2021-06-15 20:00:10

Today, the Oversight Board selected a case referred by Facebook that is a policy advisory opinion regarding how we handle the sharing of private residential information.

Facebook does not allow users to post certain private information, including information on residential addresses, which violates our policy on Privacy Violations and Image Privacy Rights as laid out in our Community Standards.

Facebook has requested guidance on this policy from the board because we found it significant and difficult as it creates tension between our values of voice and safety. 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.

What information sources should render private information “publicly available”? (for instance, should we factor into our decision whether an image of a residence was already published by another publication?)