Australia has moved to make doxxing-or publishing personal information about someone-a crime under new laws. Under the reforms to privacy laws, maliciously releasing someone’s personal information online without consent could attract imprisonment of up to six years. This move comes as part of broader efforts by the Australian government to modernize the Privacy Act for the digital age.
Doxxing to become a criminal offense: On Thursday, Australian Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus introduced new legislation into Parliament, making it a criminal offense for someone to doxx-publicly release someone’s personal information without his or her consent. This law is made in view to protect individuals from the serious harm caused by the malicious online sharing of their personal information.
The new laws also mean doxxing will be punishable by a maximum six-year jail sentence. That will increase to seven years if an aggravating factor is present-meaning a person or group has been targeted because of their religion, race, gender, disability, nationality, or ethnic origin.
Criminalization of doxxing is part of a set of broader privacy reforms to renew the Australia Privacy Act into better position to deal with the challenges thrown up by the digital age. “These changes will give Australians more control over their personal information and ensure their privacy is respected when they use digital platforms,” Dreyfus said.
“Strong privacy laws are integral to Australians’ trust and confidence in both the digital economy and in the digital services provided by governments and industry alike,” said Dreyfus. “Australians have a right to have their privacy respected, and when they are asked to hand over their personal data, they have a right to expect it will be respected.”
Damages for Breach of Privacy: In addition to making doxxing illegal, this legislation would give Australians a right to damages for serious breaches of privacy. Those victimized by doxxing or other significant breaches of personal privacy would have avenues to apply for damages through the courts.
Mr. Dreyfus emphasized that the bill was just the first step within a larger commitment by the government towards ramping up the protection of privacy and giving the Australians more control over their personal data.
Australia’s new privacy laws represent a dramatic shift in the treatment of personal data and the management of privacy invasions in the digital economy. The government has criminalized the practice of doxxing and provided financial compensation to victims of serious privacy invasions as ways of safeguarding those rights and rebuilding trust in the digital economy. The reforms reflect the commitment of Australia to renew its privacy protections in light of the surging growth in online data sharing and associated risks.