103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB2954

 

Introduced 2/16/2023, by Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act

    Creates the Civil Liability for Doxing Act. Provides that an individual engages in the act of doxing when that individual intentionally publishes another person's personally identifiable information without the consent of the person whose information is published and: (1) the information is published with the intent that it be used to harm or harass the person whose information is published and with knowledge or reckless disregard that the person whose information is published would be reasonably likely to suffer death, bodily injury, or stalking; and (2) the publishing of the information: (i) causes the person whose information is published to suffer significant economic injury or mental anguish or to fear serious bodily injury or death of the person or a family or household member to the person; or (ii) causes the person whose information is published to suffer a substantial life disruption. Allows a person who is aggrieved by a violation of the Act to bring a civil action against the individual who committed the offense to recover damages and obtain any other appropriate relief. Provides that an individual who is found liable under the Act shall be jointly and severally liable with each other individual, if any, who is found liable under the Act for damages arising from the same violation of the Act. Allows a court to issue a temporary restraining order, emergency order of protection, or preliminary or permanent injunction to restrain and prevent the disclosure or continued disclosure of a person's personally identifiable information or sensitive personal information. Allows a civil action to be brought in any county in which an element of the offense occurred, or in which a person resides who is the subject of the personally identifiable information or sensitive personal information published in violation of the Act.


LRB103 30878 LNS 57401 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB2954LRB103 30878 LNS 57401 b

1    AN ACT concerning civil law.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Civil
5Liability for Doxing Act.
 
6    Section 5. Definitions. As used in this Act:
7    "Course of conduct" means a pattern of conduct composed of
82 or more acts, evidencing a continuity of purpose.
9    "Electronic communication" means any transfer of signs,
10signals, writing, images, sounds, data, or intelligence of any
11nature transmitted in whole or in part by a wire, radio,
12electromagnetic, photoelectronic, or photo-optical system.
13    "Family or household member" includes spouses, former
14spouses, parents, children, stepchildren, and other persons
15related by blood or by present or prior marriage, persons who
16share or formerly shared a common dwelling, persons who have
17or allegedly have a child in common, persons who share or
18allegedly share a blood relationship through a child, persons
19who have or have had a dating or engagement relationship,
20persons with disabilities and their personal assistants, and
21caregivers as defined in Section 12-4.4a of the Criminal Code
22of 2012. For purposes of this paragraph, neither a casual
23acquaintanceship nor ordinary fraternization between 2

 

 

HB2954- 2 -LRB103 30878 LNS 57401 b

1individuals in business or social contexts shall be deemed to
2constitute a dating relationship. In the case of a high-risk
3adult with disabilities, "family or household member" includes
4any person who has the responsibility for a high-risk adult as
5a result of a family relationship or who has assumed
6responsibility for all or a portion of the care of a high-risk
7adult with disabilities voluntarily, by express or implied
8contract, or by court order.
9    "Mental anguish" means emotional distress or emotional
10suffering as evidenced by anxiety, fear, torment, or
11apprehension that may or may not result in a physical
12manifestation of mental anguish or a mental health diagnosis.
13"Mental anguish" is limited to emotional distress or emotional
14suffering that is protracted and not merely trivial or
15transitory.
16    "Personally identifiable information" means any
17information that can be used to distinguish or trace a
18person's identity, such as name, prior legal name, alias,
19mother's maiden name, and date or place of birth in
20combination with any other information that is linked or
21linkable to a person such as:
22        (1) social security number, home address, phone
23    number, email address, social media accounts, or biometric
24    data;
25        (2) medical, financial, education, consumer, or
26    employment information, data, or records;

 

 

HB2954- 3 -LRB103 30878 LNS 57401 b

1        (3) any other sensitive or private information that is
2    linked or linkable to a specific identifiable person, such
3    as gender identity, sexual orientation, or any sexually
4    intimate visual depiction; or
5        (4) any information that provides access to a person's
6    teleconferencing, video-teleconferencing, or other
7    digital meeting room.
8    "Post" means to circulate, deliver, distribute,
9disseminate, transmit, or otherwise make available to 2 or
10more persons through electronic communication.
11    "Publish" means to circulate, deliver, distribute,
12disseminate, post, transmit, or otherwise make available to
13another person.
14    "Regularly resides" means residing in the household with
15some permanency or regular frequency in the person's living
16arrangement.
17    "Stalk" or "stalking" means to knowingly or intentionally
18engage in a course of conduct, without a legitimate purpose,
19directed at or concerning a specific person that would cause a
20reasonable person to fear for the person's safety or the
21safety of a family or household member or to suffer
22substantial emotional distress.
23    "Substantial life disruption" means that a person
24significantly modifies that person's actions or routines in an
25attempt to avoid the individual or because of the individual's
26course of conduct. "Substantial life disruption" may include,

 

 

HB2954- 4 -LRB103 30878 LNS 57401 b

1but is not limited to, changing a phone number, changing an
2email address, deleting personal electronic accounts or
3significantly decreasing use of the Internet, moving from an
4established residence, changing daily routines, changing
5routes to and from work, changing employment or work schedule,
6or losing time at work or a job.
 
7    Section 10. Doxing.
8    (a) An individual engages in the act of doxing when that
9individual intentionally publishes another person's personally
10identifiable information without the consent of the person
11whose information is published and:
12        (1) the information is published with the intent that
13    it be used to harm or harass the person whose information
14    is published and with knowledge or reckless disregard that
15    the person whose information is published would be
16    reasonably likely to suffer death, bodily injury, or
17    stalking; and
18        (2) the publishing of the information:
19            (i) causes the person whose information is
20        published to suffer significant economic injury or
21        mental anguish or to fear serious bodily injury or
22        death of the person or a family or household member of
23        the person; or
24            (ii) causes the person whose information is
25        published to suffer a substantial life disruption.

 

 

HB2954- 5 -LRB103 30878 LNS 57401 b

1    (b) It is not an offense under this Act for an individual
2to:
3        (1) provide another person's personally identifiable
4    information or sensitive personal information in
5    connection with the reporting of criminal activity to an
6    employee of a law enforcement agency or in connection with
7    any lawfully authorized investigative, protective, or
8    intelligence activity of any law enforcement agency or of
9    an intelligence agency of the United States and the person
10    making the report reasonably believes the alleged criminal
11    activity occurred or the existing investigative,
12    protective, or intelligence activity is legitimate;
13        (2) disseminate the personally identifiable
14    information for the purpose of, or in connection with, the
15    reporting of conduct reasonably believed to be unlawful;
16    or
17        (3) provide a person's personally identifiable
18    information in connection with lawful and constitutionally
19    protected activity as it pertains to speech, assembly, and
20    petition.
21    (c) Nothing in this Act shall be construed in any manner
22to:
23        (1) conflict with Section 230 of Title II of the
24    Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 230);
25        (2) conflict with 42 U.S.C. 1983; or
26        (3) prohibit any activity protected under the

 

 

HB2954- 6 -LRB103 30878 LNS 57401 b

1    Constitution of the United States or the Illinois
2    Constitution.
 
3    Section 15. Civil action.
4    (a) A person who is aggrieved by a violation of this Act
5may bring a civil action against the individual who committed
6the offense of doxing (or any individual or entity that
7knowingly benefits, financially or by receiving anything of
8value, from participation in a venture that the individual or
9entity knew or should have known involved a violation of this
10Act) and may recover damages and any other appropriate relief,
11including reasonable attorney's fees.
12    (b) An individual who is found liable under this Act shall
13be jointly and severally liable with each other individual, if
14any, who is found liable under this Act for damages arising
15from the same violation of this Act.
 
16    Section 20. Injunctive relief. A court in which a suit is
17brought under this Act, on the motion of a party, may issue a
18temporary restraining order, emergency order of protection, or
19preliminary or permanent injunction to restrain and prevent
20the disclosure or continued disclosure of a person's
21personally identifiable information or sensitive personal
22information. If a person violates any order issued under this
23Section, the court, in its discretion, may grant any civil
24remedy under State law.
 

 

 

HB2954- 7 -LRB103 30878 LNS 57401 b

1    Section 25. Venue. A civil action may be brought in any
2county in which an element of the offense occurred, or in which
3a person resides who is the subject of personally identifiable
4information published in violation of this Act.
 
5    Section 30. Constitutionality. The General Assembly does
6not intend this Act to allow, and this Act shall not allow,
7actions to be brought against constitutionally protected
8activity.
 
9    Section 35. Construction and application. This Act shall
10be liberally construed and applied to promote its underlying
11purpose to protect persons from and provide adequate remedies
12to victims of doxing.
 
13    Section 97. Severability. The provisions of this Act are
14severable under Section 1.31 of the Statute on Statutes.