A bill moving through the Oregon legislature would make doxing a crime.
Doxing is the act of publicizing someone’s personal information without their consent, so other people can locate them and harass or hurt them.
A 2021 bill made this a sueable offense in Oregon. Now, some lawmakers want to make it a Class B misdemeanor.
To be convicted of "unlawful disclosure of private information," someone would have to distribute identifying details about a victim—such as a home address, an employer’s contact information, or where their child goes to school.
In addition, a court would have to prove the perpetrator intended to incite stalking, property damage or injury—and that someone else actually committed one of those crimes as a result.
Aaron Schmautz, the President of the Oregon Coalition of Police and Sheriffs, voiced his support for the bill at a House Judiciary Committee hearing last month.
Schmautz said while working as a law enforcement officer in 2010, he began receiving anonymous calls from people threatening to kill his family. He said the current law doesn’t adequately protect people.
“If you are somebody who’s having your family terrorized by somebody, very rarely do you have time to seek out civil action as opposed to just trying to keep your family safe,” said Schmautz.
However, the ACLU of Oregon has raised concerns about the bill, arguing it could be weaponized to silence dissenting voices.
Athul Acharya, a member of the organization's Lawyers' Committee, told lawmakers the bill would criminalize true speech, and prevent people from sharing information that's in the public domain.
"This bill would disproportionately affect marginalized communities, activists and journalists," said Acharya. "It would chill them from engaging in essential democratic activities."
The bill is awaiting a vote on the House floor, which could happen as soon as Monday. If approved, it would return to the Oregon Senate for final approval, since the measure was amended in the House.
