In Australia, a new legislative measure is set to be introduced to ban the public disclosure of personal data on the Internet, commonly known as doxing. The proposed bill, currently under consideration in federal parliament, includes provisions for up to seven years of imprisonment for individuals found guilty of disseminating information with the intent to cause harm.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledged this action following an incident in February where the personal information of members of a private WhatsApp group comprising hundreds of Australian Jews was leaked online.
Attorney General Mark Dreyfus detailed that this new measure is part of broader reforms aimed at updating the Privacy Act of 1988 to align with the challenges of the digital era. Under these proposed changes, the publication of personal details like names, addresses, and phone numbers will be legally protected, with penalties of up to six years in prison for malicious distribution. In cases targeting individuals based on traits like race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity, the potential sentence increases to seven years.
Citizens will also gain the right to seek compensation for damages in cases of severe breaches of their privacy. A key focus of the bill is the protection of children, who will have a specific confidentiality code developed to impose obligations on social platforms and digital service providers for enhanced protection online.
This reform represents the initial phase of the promised overhaul of privacy legislation, with unresolved issues such as exemptions for small businesses likely to be addressed at a later stage.