"It would be hard to introduce a single federal law against doxxing, says Danielle Citron, a law professor at the University of Maryland and author of “Hate Crimes in Cyberspace,” because it runs the risk of conflicting with the First Amendment. She points out that while there are various state and federal laws in place to combat stalking, harassment and clear threats, these don’t always apply when someone’s name, address or phone number is published online. That information, after all, can be already available in the White Pages.
However, Citron still thinks any kind of doxxing is dangerous. “I don’t care if it’s neo-Nazis or antifa,” she says, “this is a very bad strategy leading to a downward spiral of depravity.” Citron’s worry is that all too often doxxing ends up hurting the most vulnerable. “It provides a permission structure to go outside the law and punish each other,” she says. “It’s like shaming in cyber-mobs.”"
- Date Published:10/30/2017
- Original Publication:ProPublica