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VietnameseGriffin: ‘We understand that technology companies must innovate to stay competitive, but they can’t do so in a way that poses risks to consumers’
LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Tim Griffin issued the following statement after he joined a bipartisan group of 36 other attorneys general in sending a letter to Instagram’s parent company, Meta, calling on the social media platform to safeguard its new location-sharing feature:
“Social media already poses many risks for vulnerable populations, particularly minors. Instagram’s new map feature allows users’ location to be tracked in real time, which could put kids at risk of being targeted by predators. The risk could extend to adults, too, such as victims of domestic abuse who are trying to avoid being found by their abusers.
“Instagram and its parent company, Meta, should implement controls on this new feature to ensure the safety of its users. The letter I signed with 36 other attorneys general calls on Instagram to (1) ensure that minors are not allowed to enable location-sharing features, (2) send a clear alert to all adult users explaining the feature, outlining its risks, and including a comprehensive disclosure of how Instagram intends to use their location data, and (3) for those adults who have chosen to opt in to location sharing, allow a simple, easy-to-access feature that allows users to disable at any time.
“We understand that technology companies must innovate to stay competitive, but they can’t do so in a way that poses risks to consumers.”
Griffin was joined in signing the letter by the attorneys general of New Mexico, Georgia, Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
To read a copy of the letter, click here.
To download a PDF version of this release, click here.
About Attorney General Tim Griffin
Tim Griffin was sworn in as the 57th Attorney General of Arkansas on January 10, 2023, having previously served as the state’s 20th Lieutenant Governor from 2015-2023. From 2011-2015, Griffin served as the 24th representative of Arkansas’s Second Congressional District, where he served on the House Committee on Ways and Means, House Armed Services Committee, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, House Committee on Ethics and House Committee on the Judiciary while also serving as a Deputy Whip for the Majority.
Griffin is currently an officer in the Arkansas Army National Guard and holds the rank of colonel. Griffin served as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps for more than 28 years. In 2005, Griffin was mobilized to active duty as an Army prosecutor at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and served with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in Mosul, Iraq.
His previous assignments include serving as the Commander of the 2d Legal Operations Detachment in New Orleans, Louisiana; the Commander of the 134th Legal Operations Detachment at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; and as a Senior Legislative Advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness at the Pentagon. Griffin earned a master’s degree in strategic studies as a Distinguished Honor Graduate from the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.
Griffin also served as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Political Affairs for President George W. Bush; Special Assistant to Assistant Attorney General Michael Chertoff, Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice; Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Arkansas; Senior Investigative Counsel, Government Reform and Oversight Committee, U.S. House of Representatives; and Associate Independent Counsel, Office of Independent Counsel David M. Barrett, In re: HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros.
Griffin is a graduate of Magnolia High School, Hendrix College in Conway, and Tulane Law School in New Orleans. He attended graduate school at Oxford University. He is admitted to practice law in Arkansas (active) and Louisiana (inactive). Griffin lives in Little Rock with his wife, Elizabeth, a Camden native, and their three children.
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