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Committee advances amended harassment provision aimed at doxing; criminal penalties retained
Summary
A House committee approved an amendment to add electronically publishing personal identifying information to the state's harassment statute, moving House Bill 1134 forward as amended after debates about penalty severity and wording.
The House Judiciary Committee moved House Bill 1134 forward on a vote to give the amended harassment provision what proponents called a clearer statutory home for doxing and similar online conduct.
The committee approved an amendment that adds a subdivision to section 12.1-1701 on harassment to make it an offense when, "with intent to frighten or harass another person... the person communicates in writing by electronic communication or by electronically publishing, posting, or otherwise disclosing information to the public to a public Internet site or public forum, an individual's personal identifying information." Chairman Clamine presented the amendment and summarized its scope.
Why it matters: lawmakers said the change narrows a broader original bill to fit within the state's harassment statute and creates a criminal charge that can be used where…
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