On Thursday, the Georgia Senate passed the Georgia Anti-Doxxing Act, legislation to create criminal offenses for doxxing in Georgia, as a part of Crossover Day.
Roswell Republican Sen. John Albers, sponsor of the bill, defined doxxing as publicly revealing one’s private information using social media with “malicious intent.”
“It’s a gross violation of your privacy, resulting in emotional distress, reputational damage, and, in many cases, physical harm,” he said. “For the increase of digitization in all of our lives, we need to address this issue head-on as it becomes more urgent and necessary.”
Under the legislation, a person is doxxing someone when they intentionally post another person’s “personally identifying information without their consent.”
The person has no regard for whether the information will be used by another party to cause the person whose information was shared to fear “of stalking, serious bodily injury or death to oneself or a close relation, or to suffer a significant economic injury or mental anguish as a result therefrom.”
Albers assured that the legislation would not violate freedom of speech, as it states that it does not “prevent, prohibit, limit, or restrict” the freedoms granted under the First Amendment.
“This bill takes a step in the right direction toward securing a digital safety of all Georgia citizens and sends a clear message that Georgia will not tolerate online harassment and is committed to protecting the privacy of our citizens,” he said. “It also acknowledges the changing landscape of our digital age and takes robust steps to protect and uphold the privacy of our fellow citizens.”
Sen. Sonya Halpern, an Atlanta Democrat, voiced her support of the legislation on the House floor and explained the difference between cyberstalking and the act of doxxing.
“What sets doxxing apart from existing cyberstalking laws is the methodical collection of personal data and the calculated decision on what information to release, on which platform and through, which means, she said. “Once the sensitive information infiltrates public domains, it becomes nearly impossible to retract it, and it leaves victims vulnerable and exposed.”
The bill, which Albers says is a “practical solution to a modern-day problem,” passed in a 52-1 vote.
This story comes to The Macon Newsroom through a reporting partnership with GPB News, a non-profit newsroom covering the state of Georgia.
