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Senate enacts anti-doxxing law making malicious exposure of private data a crime
Summary
The Senate passed SB 27, the Georgia Anti-Doxxing Act, creating criminal penalties for doxxing and aggravated doxxing while aiming to limit impacts on constitutionally protected speech.
The Georgia Senate passed SB 27 on March 11, establishing a state criminal offense for doxxing'the malicious public posting of private identifying information'and for aggravated doxxing in cases that cause substantial risk of bodily harm.
Sponsor remarks framed the bill as a narrow response to a contemporary form of harassment. The senator from the 56, who carried the measure, described doxxing as a "gross violation of your privacy resulting in emotional distress, reputational damage, and in many cases, physical harm." Backers said the text includes explicit protections for bona fide reporting and ordinary speech to avoid chilling First Amendment activity.
Supporters pointed to victims' inability to retract personal details once they spread online; advocacy groups including the Anti-Defamation League and Frontline had testified in favor. The Senate adopted the committee substitute and passed the bill by voice and recorded vote; the final tally was recorded as 52 yeas, 1 nay on the floor.
The statute defines doxxing, sets penalties that increase on subsequent offenses or where substantial harm is produced, and establishes a civil remedy in some circumstances. The bill also directs prosecutors and courts to consider free-speech protections in evaluating cases.
SB 27 passed the Senate (52-1) and will proceed to the House. Supporters called it a balanced approach to a modern harassment tool; civil liberties groups welcomed the attention but said careful implementation will determine whether it preserves protected speech.
