SB 27: Stalking; offense of doxxing; penalties; protective order; provide

Georgia law currently has no specific crime for publicly posting someone's private identifying information, such as their home address, employer, or phone number, in a way meant to scare or harm them. This bill, called the Georgia Anti-Doxing Act, adds a new section to the state's invasion of privacy laws to fill that gap. It creates two new crimes. Doxing applies when someone posts a person's personally identifiable information without consent and recklessly disregards whether it could cause fear of stalking, injury, or death, or cause serious economic harm or emotional distress. Aggravated doxing applies when someone does the same thing with actual intent to cause that harm, and the harm actually occurs. The bill sets penalties, exempts activity like reporting crimes to police or engaging in protected speech, and would take effect July 1, 2025, applying only to offenses committed after that date.

• Creates a new misdemeanor crime of doxing for posting someone's personal information with reckless disregard that it may cause fear of stalking, injury, death, economic harm, or emotional distress.
• Makes a second or later doxing conviction a felony punishable by one to two years in prison and a fine of at least $5,000.
• Creates a separate felony crime of aggravated doxing for posting someone's information with actual intent to cause that harm, punishable by two to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
• Increases aggravated doxing penalties to five to ten years and a $10,000 fine for a second or later conviction, and applies party-to-a-crime liability if the victim suffers serious injury or death.
• Exempts reporting crimes to law enforcement, reporting suspected unlawful conduct, and constitutionally protected speech, assembly, or petition activity from prosecution.
• Sets the law to take effect July 1, 2025, applying only to offenses committed on or after that date.

Georgians who post other people's personal information online or through text and email, potential victims of doxing including their close relatives, coworkers, or household members, law enforcement and prosecutors who would enforce the new crimes, and people reporting crimes or engaging in protected speech who are exempted from liability.

People targeted with public posts of their home address, employer, or phone number, often meant to intimidate or harass them, would gain a specific criminal law to seek prosecution under, rather than relying on stalking or harassment statutes. Those who post such information, even without direct intent to harm, could face criminal charges.

• Section 2 adds new Code Section 16-11-93, defining terms like close relation, personally identifiable information, mental anguish, and significant economic injury.
• Subsection (b) defines doxing as posting someone's identifying information with reckless disregard that it could cause fear of stalking, injury, death, economic harm, or emotional distress, punishable as a misdemeanor, escalating to a felony on repeat offenses.
• Subsection (c) defines aggravated doxing as posting the information with actual intent to cause such harm and requires the harm to actually occur, punishable by two to five years in prison and rising to five to ten years for repeat offenses.
• Subsection (d) exempts reporting to law enforcement, reporting suspected crimes, and lawful constitutionally protected activity from prosecution under this section.
• Subsection (e) clarifies the law does not restrict free speech protections except for true threats or speech likely to provoke imminent lawless action.
• Subsections (f) and (g) establish that jurisdiction and venue can be based on where the post originated, was received, or where the victim resides.
• Section 3 sets the effective date as July 1, 2025, applying only to offenses committed on or after that date.

1. 2026-03-19House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
2. 2025-04-04House Withdrawn, Recommitted (House)
3. 2025-03-27House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
4. 2025-03-11House Second Readers (House)
5. 2025-03-10House First Readers (House)
6. 2025-03-06Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Senate)
7. 2025-03-06Senate Third Read (Senate)
8. 2025-03-04Senate Read Second Time (Senate)

• John Albers (R, SD-056)Primary sponsor
• Randy Robertson (R, SD-029)
• Ricky Williams (R, SD-025)
• Mike Hodges (R, SD-003)
• Ben Watson (R, SD-001)
• Kay Kirkpatrick (R, SD-032)
• Timothy Bearden (R, SD-030)
• Matt Brass (R, SD-006)
• Jason Anavitarte (R, SD-031)
• Blake Tillery (R, SD-019)
• Carden Summers (R, SD-013)
• Brian Strickland (R, SD-042)
• Sonya Halpern (D, SD-039)
• Brad Thomas (R, HD-021)

1. PassedSenate voteMarch 6, 2025

   52 yea, 1 nay (2 not voting, 1 absent)

   Passage By Substitute: Senate Vote #193

• doxing
• stalking laws
• online privacy
• criminal penalties
• free speech