An Act establishing a right to freedom from doxing
This bill amends Massachusetts law to explicitly define "doxing" as the unauthorized sharing of personal information intended to cause fear or harm, thereby creating a specific legal right against it. It establishes a new cause of action allowing victims to sue for damages, including up to three times the amount if the doxing was motivated by bias against race, gender, or other protected characteristics. The legislation clarifies that personal identifying information includes details like home addresses, phone numbers, and financial records, while also providing exceptions for reporting crimes or addressing unlawful conduct by public officials.
Bill status
passed
3 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2023
Committee Review
Feb 2023
House Passage
Feb 2023
Governor
Introduced Feb 16, 2023
Last action Feb 8, 2024
Floor votes
How they voted
This bill passed the House. No roll call record of that vote is available.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
4
Key actions
1
Committee
1
Feb 16, 2023
Lower · Passed
House concurred
lower
Feb 16, 2023
Committee
Referred to the committee on The Judiciary
upper
1 primary · 10 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Becca Rausch
DDemocratic
Co
Aaron Saunders
DDemocratic
Co
Brendan Crighton
DDemocratic
Co
Dave Robertson
DDemocratic
Co
Jenny Armini
DDemocratic
Co
John Cronin
DDemocratic
Co
Nick Collins
DDemocratic
Co
Pavel Payano
DDemocratic
Co
Simon Cataldo
DDemocratic
Co
Steven Howitt
RRepublican
Co
Tackey Chan
DDemocratic
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