What can I do? A restaurant owner posted my name in their restaurant and online as a Covid snitch

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Asked in Tacoma, WA | May 1, 2021

What can I do? A restaurant owner posted my name in their restaurant and online as a Covid snitch

I reported a business that was not following Covid guidelines. The restaurant owner did a Freedom of Information Act request and got a list with hundreds of names of people that made Covid violation complaints; including mine. The restaurant owner posted the list in their restaurant and online. This endangers the safety of me and the other complainants. Apparently, according to the restaurant owner's social media posts, the list includes addresses. Is there anything I can do?

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Accepted Answer · 2021-05-04T22:13:24Z

Posted on May 4, 2021

If the list is a public record in your state, it is not illegal to publish the record. Most governmental filings are public records unless the state passes a specific law prohibiting their release. This issue of 'doxing' is an example of the law not having caught up with the technology which can put people at risk of harm if their address or other contact information is posted online. Consider the implications before submitting any future governmental filings.

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