Sponsors (2)
Makes publishing certain identifying or contact information about special operations personnel or their immediate family a federal crime punishable up to 5 years, or up to life if death or serious injury results.
The bill strengthens federal criminal protection against malicious doxxing for special-operations and similar personnel (and their families), but does so at the cost of increased risk of chilling lawful speech and journalism, potential misapplication to benign family or media disclosures, and added enforcement burdens.
Special operations personnel and their immediate family members are better protected because publishing their home address, identifying images, contact details, or other restricted data with intent to enable violence becomes a federal crime.
Federal law enforcement officers assigned to special operations receive the same legal protection against doxxing and targeted exposure.
People harmed by malicious doxxing gain a federally enforceable deterrent because the bill authorizes criminal penalties (fines and imprisonment) for those who knowingly publish restricted personal information to enable violence.
Journalists, researchers, and ordinary speakers who publish information about public servants could face criminal liability, creating a significant chilling effect on lawful speech and reporting.
Broad or vague definitions of "restricted personal information" risk criminalizing benign or journalistic disclosures (for example, linking names and workplaces or publishing images) depending on how intent/knowledge is proved.
Family members of covered personnel may inadvertently be criminalized for ordinary information-sharing (social posts) if standards for intent or knowledge are misapplied, chilling everyday online behavior.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Official title: To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit doxing of special operations personnel, and for other purposes.
Introduced January 16, 2026 by Richard Hudson · Last progress January 16, 2026
Creates a new federal crime for knowingly making certain identifying or contact information about special operations personnel, associated DoD personnel performing sensitive activities, federal law enforcement assigned to special operations, or their immediate family publicly available. The rule lists specific categories of "restricted personal information," sets penalties up to 5 years in prison (or fines) for violations, and allows life imprisonment or any term of years if the disclosure results in death or serious bodily injury.