SF4609

Purpose

This bill aims to strengthen protections against doxxing by making it a crime to publicly share personal information about a law enforcement official or that official’s family if doing so creates an imminent and serious threat to safety.

Who is protected

• Law enforcement official: includes peace officers and people employed by a law enforcement agency.
• Family or household member of a law enforcement official.

What counts as personal information

The bill lists personal information that cannot be publicly shared if it could threaten safety. This includes: - Home telephone number and personal cell number - Personal email address - Name of the official or the official’s minor child - Photographs of the official or the official’s minor child - Home address - Directions to a home - Photographs of a home

What the bill makes a crime

• It is a misdemeanor to knowingly and without consent publicly share (including online) personal information about a law enforcement official or the official’s family if doing so poses an imminent and serious threat to safety, and the person knew or should have known about the threat.

Penalties and how they change with circumstances

• General violation: misdemeanor
• If the victim is a law enforcement official or a family member of a law enforcement official: gross misdemeanor
• If the violation results in great bodily harm or death to the victim or their family member: felony, with punishment up to 2 years in prison or a $4,000 fine or both
• Second or subsequent violations: could be a gross misdemeanor or felony, with penalties of up to 2 years in prison and/or up to a $4,000 fine, or both

Overall changes to existing law

• Broadens the doxxing statute (609.5151) to cover not just the officer but also family members
• Adds specific categories of “personal information” that are protected
• Establishes tiered penalties (misdemeanor, gross misdemeanor, felony) based on who is affected and what outcomes occur

Practical effect

• Public dissemination of an officer’s personal data (and data about their family) that could threaten safety would face criminal penalties, with harsher penalties if harm occurs or if it involves subsequent offenses.

Relevant Terms - doxxing - dissemination of personal information - law enforcement official - peace officer - personal information - home address - home telephone number - personal cell number - personal email address - photographs - minor child - directions to a home - imminent and serious threat - misdemeanor - gross misdemeanor - felony - great bodily harm