New Jersey law bars doxxing campaigns against judges, prosecutors and police
Potential victims can demand that content gets pulled.
It’s now illegal to conduct doxxing campaigns against the justice system in New Jersey. Gothamist reports that state Governor Phil Murphy has signed Daniel’s Law, a measure barring the publication (primarily on the internet) of home addresses and unlisted phone numbers for judges, prosecutors and law enforcement officers. It’s named after Daniel Anderl, the son of Judge Esther Salas. A man murdered Daniel and injured his father after finding Judge Salas’ address online.
In addition to the direct ban on doxxing, the law also requires that anyone posting this info remove it within 72 hours of receiving a written request from a potential target.
The law will only have so much effect in one state, but Senator Bob Menendez said he was “committed” to passing a similar federal-level bill, the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act.
This might not please everyone. Doxxing is an all-too-common element of online abuse against many people, not just those in the legal realm. However, Daniel’s Law and any possible additional laws should at least reduce the chances of people finding sensitive material online they can use to threaten anyone upholding the law.
