Bipartisan anti-doxing bill passes state Senate

A bipartisan bill to stop doxing in Washington passed the state Senate on Thursday in what Washington House Democrats called “a significant first step in combating the rise of hate-based incidents throughout the state.”

House Bill 1335, introduced by Rep. Drew Hansen (D-Bainbridge Island), prohibits individuals from publicly disclosing personally identifiable information with the intent to harass, intimidate or cause other harm.

“Doxing causes real harm,” said Hansen. “It is scary to have all the personal details of your life suddenly put out there as a call to others to harass or intimidate you. This bill creates a civil cause of action so that if someone doxes you with the intent to cause harm, and they do cause harm, you have a path to seek justice. And frankly, I think it’s long overdue.”

According to Washington House Democrats, law enforcement agencies in the state reported 576 hate crimes in 2021, the highest number in over 20 years. The state has also seen a 44% increase in anti-Semitic incidents in the last two years, outpacing the national average, according to the Anti-Defamation League-Pacific Northwest.

HB 1335 passed on a 40-to-7 bipartisan vote and will now return to the House before being sent to Gov. Jay Inslee’s desk for his signature.

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