Following targeted threats, Indiana lawmakers unite to pass doxxing bill

This story will be updated.

Following a wave of threats that targeted their own homes, Indiana lawmakers unanimously passed a bill to criminalize doxxing — the malicious posting of personal information online. Gov. Mike Braun has until Thursday to take action on it or it automatically passes into law.

Doxxing is the act of posting personally identifiable information about another person on social media with the intent to cause harm. Senate Enrolled Act 140 defines doxxing under statutes for existing crimes, said sponsor Rep. Alex Zimmerman (R-North Vernon).

“That gets it to the crime of intimidation," he said during a House floor session on Feb. 17. “It’s about intentional conduct designed to invite violence or criminal acts against another person.”

The bill’s author, Sen. Vaneta Becker (R-Evansville), introduced the legislation in January to address a wave of political harassment. At least eight elected officials said they were targeted — including by threats of pipe bombs and swatting attempts — last November and December during a contentious fight over congressional redistricting. The threats followed social media posts by President Donald Trump and others that included the names of specific state officials.

Braun said his family was targeted. 

“If you threaten or attempt to carry out acts of violence against Indiana's elected officials, we WILL bring you to justice," Braun wrote on social media at the time.

The Indiana State Police announced an investigation into the swatting incidents on Nov. 20. 

“The case that you’re asking about is still ongoing and there is no additional information for public release at this time,” Cpt. Ron Galaviz, ISP public information officer, told WFYI in a text message Tuesday.

The legislation classifies doxxing as a threat if the intent is to cause bodily harm to a person, damage to their property or to encourage others to commit a crime against them. This would be a Class A misdemeanor. 

To qualify as a crime, a social media post must include two or more pieces of personally identifiable information about the targeted person. These include the person’s name, Social Security number, home address, a previous legal name, a phone number, the name or address of their employer, or the name and address of a place the person frequents.

If the person targeted is a lawmaker, the charge jumps to a Level 5 felony. This enhancement adds state legislators to a list of protected officials that already includes specific judicial officers and attorneys. The office of governor is not included on the list.

Earlier versions of the bill included amendments to protect railroad crews’ information from showing up in accident reports and to add a provision about drones dispersing aerosols remotely.

“We were trying to help the Farm Bureau,” Becker said of the failed amendment on the Senate floor Feb. 27, but a conference committee stripped the bill of those provisions.

Contact WFYI data journalist Zak Cassel at zcassel@wfyi.org