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Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:

Last Friday, Illinois became one of the few states to pass an anti-doxxing law, making it possible for victims to sue attackers who "intentionally" publish their personally identifiable information with intent to harm or harass them. (Doxxing is sometimes spelled "doxing.")

The Civil Liability for Doxing Act, which takes effect on January 1, 2024, passed after a unanimous vote. It allows victims to recover damages and to request "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."

It's the first law of its kind in the Midwest, the Daily Herald reported, and is part of a push by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) to pass similar laws at the state and federal levels.

ADL's Midwest regional director, David Goldenberg, told the Daily Herald that ADL has seen doxxing become "over the past few years" an effective way of "weaponizing" the Internet. ADL has helped similar laws pass in Maryland, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington.

[...] Illinois state representative Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz told the Daily Herald that she introduced the anti-doxxing law as "a way to hold accountable those who perpetuate hate online."

The law does not involve criminal charges but imposes civil liability on individuals who dox any Illinois residents. Actions can also be brought against individuals when "any element" of a doxxing offense occurs in the state.

[...] The ADL's ultimate goal is to see a federal anti-doxxing law passed, but right now, Congress is only taking small steps in that direction by mulling the Doxing Threat Assessment Act introduced in May.

[...] Congress may be right to exercise caution in passing anti-doxxing laws, according to the ACLU of Illinois, which opposed the Illinois law that passed this month.

ACLU of Illinois' director of communications and public policy, Ed Yohnka, told the Daily Herald that his organization remained opposed because the law could infringe on free speech rights. The ACLU's chief complaint seems to be that individuals can be sued for sharing publicly available personally identifiable information that any ill-intentioned person wishing to confront others in person could readily find.

"It continues to be overly broad and inclusive of protected speech—namely, the inclusion of both truly publicly available information as well as private conversations between more than two people," Yohnka told the Daily Herald.

[...] Until there's a federal anti-doxxing law passed, Goldenberg told Ars that ADL will continue talking with states considering passing anti-doxxing laws during next year's legislative session

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