By: Wu H.B. No. 3024
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to civil and criminal liability for doxing; creating an
  offense.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Chapter 22, Penal Code, is amended by adding
  Section 22.13 to read as follows:
         Sec. 22.13  DOXING. (a)  A person commits an offense if:
               (1)  the person intentionally posts another person's
  private personal information without consent of the person whose
  information is posted;
               (2)  the information is posted:
                     (A)  with the intent to promote or assist in the
  commission of an offense that would cause the person whose
  information is posted to suffer death, bodily injury, or stalking,
  under Section 42.072; or,
                     (B)  with the intent that the information would be
  used to threaten harm or to harass any person and with reckless
  disregard that the posting would be reasonably likely to incite an
  attempt to cause the person to suffer death, bodily injury, or
  stalking, under Section 42.072; and,
               (3)  the posting of the information:
                     (A)  is conducted with knowledge that the
  information will be used in the commission of an offense that would
  cause harm to the person whose information is posted or to a close
  relation to that person;
                     (B)  would cause a reasonable person to suffer
  significant economic injury or mental anguish or to fear serious
  bodily injury or death for oneself or for a close relation to
  oneself; or
                     (C)  causes the person whose information is posted
  to suffer a substantial life disruption.
         (b)  An offense under paragraph a(3)(A) or (a)(3)(B) is a
  Class A misdemeanor, except that the offense is a State Jail Felony
  if an individual suffers death, physical injury, mental anguish or
  significant economic injury as a proximate result of conduct
  arising out of the posting.
         (c)  An offense under Subsection a(3)(C) is a Class B
  misdemeanor.
         (d)  If in the trial of an offense under this section, an
  affirmative finding is made that the offense was committed because
  of bias or prejudice, under Article 42.014, Code of Criminal
  Procedure, the punishment for the offense is increased as provided
  under Section 12.47.
         (e)  It is not an offense under this section for a person to
  provide another person's private personal information in
  connection with:
               (1)  the reporting of information about criminal
  activity to a peace officer or an employee of a law enforcement
  agency, and the person making the report reasonably believes the
  information to be true;
               (2)  any lawfully authorized investigative,
  protective, or intelligence activity of any law enforcement agency
  or of an intelligence agency of the United States; or
               (3)  lawful and constitutionally protected activity as
  it pertains to speech, assembly or petition.
         (f)  Nothing in this section shall be construed in any manner
  to:
               (1)  conflict with 47 U.S.C. § 230 of the Communication
  Decency Act;
               (2)  conflict with 42 U.S.C. § 1983 of the Civil Rights
  Act; or,
               (3)  prohibit any activity protected under the
  Constitution of the United States or the Texas Constitution.
         (g)  If conduct constituting an offense under this section
  also constitutes an offense under another section of this code, the
  actor may be prosecuted under either section or both sections.
         (h)  In this section:
               (1)  "Close relation" means a member of the person's
  family or household or an individual with whom the person has a
  dating relationship, or any other individual for whom the release
  of the private personal information could reasonably lead to an
  offense being committed against that individual, including
  coworkers or persons at the residence of the person who is the
  subject of the information.
               (2)  "Dating relationship," "family," "household," and
  "member of a household" have the meanings assigned by Chapter 71,
  Family Code.
               (2)  "Electronic communication" has the meaning
  assigned by Section 42.07;
               (3)  "Mental anguish" means emotional distress or
  emotional suffering as evidenced by anxiety, fear, torment or
  apprehension that may or may not result in a physical manifestation
  of mental anguish or a mental health diagnosis. The mental anguish
  must be protracted and not merely trivial or transitory;
               (4)  "Private personal information" means:
                     (A)  "Personal identifying information" as that
  term is defined in Section 521.002(a)(1), Business and Commerce
  Code;
                     (B)  "Sensitive personal information" as that
  term is defined in Section 521.002(a)(2), Business and Commerce
  Code;
                     (C)  information that alone or in conjunction with
  other information identifies an individual and reveals the
  individual's race, color, disability, religion, sex, national
  origin, or age, or includes any sexually intimate visual depiction
  of the individual; and,
                     (D)  usernames, passwords, or any other
  information that provides access to a person's communications by
  means of teleconferencing, video-teleconferencing, or any other
  form of digital meeting room.
               (5)  "Post" means to circulate, deliver, distribute,
  disseminate, transmit or otherwise make available to two or more
  persons through electronic communication;
               (6)  "Substantial life disruption" means that a person
  significantly modifies that person's actions or routines in an
  attempt to avoid the actor or because of the actor's course of
  conduct, such as changing a phone number, changing an electronic
  mail address, deleting personal electronic accounts or
  significantly decreasing use of the internet, moving from an
  established residence, changing daily routines, changing routes to
  and from work, changing employment or work schedule or losing time
  from work or a job.
         SECTION 2.  Chapter 13, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
  amended by adding Article 13.39 to read as follows:
         Art. 13.39.  DOXING. The offense of doxing may be prosecuted
  in any county in which an element of the offense occurred, or in
  which a person resides who is the subject of the private personal
  information posted as an element of the offense.
         SECTION 3.  Title 5, Civil Practice and Remedies Code, is
  amended by adding Chapter 98C to read as follows:
         CHAPTER 98C. LIABILITY FOR DOXING
         Sec 98C.001.  DEFINITIONS.  In this chapter, "private
  personal information" has the meaning assigned by Section 22.13(h),
  Penal Code.
         Sec. 98C.002.  LIABILITY.  (a) A defendant who engages in
  doxing, as that offense is defined under Section 22.13, Penal Code,
  is liable, as provided by this chapter, for damages arising from the
  posting of private personal information by the defendant, as
  described by that section, to the person whose information was
  posted.
         Sec. 98C.003.  DAMAGES.  (a) A claimant who prevails in a
  suit under this chapter shall be awarded:
               (1)  actual damages, including damages for mental
  anguish even if an injury other than mental anguish is not shown;
               (2)  court costs; and
               (3)  reasonable attorney's fees.
         (b)  In addition to an award under Subsection (a), a claimant
  who prevails in a suit under this chapter may recover exemplary
  damages.
         Sec. 98C.003.  INJUNCTIVE RELIEF. A court in which a suit is
  brought under this chapter, on the motion of a party, may issue a
  temporary restraining order or a temporary or permanent injunction
  to restrain and prevent the disclosure or continued disclosure of a
  party's private personal information.
         Sec. 98C.004.  CAUSE OF ACTION CUMULATIVE.  The cause of
  action created by this chapter is cumulative of any other remedy
  provided by common law or statute.
         Sec. 98C.005.  JURISDICTION.  A court has personal
  jurisdiction over a defendant in a suit brought under this chapter
  if:
               (1)  the defendant resides in this state;
               (2)  the person whose private personal information was
  posted resides in this state;
               (3)  the private personal information is stored on a
  server that is located in this state; or
               (4)  the private personal information is available for
  view in this state.
         Sec. 98C.006.  JOINT AND SEVERAL LIABILITY. A person who is
  found liable under this chapter is jointly and severally liable
  with any other defendant for the entire amount of damages resulting
  in whole or in part from the posting of private personal information
  by the defendant.
         Sec. 98C.007.  LIBERAL CONSTRUCTION AND APPLICATION;
  CERTAIN CONDUCT EXCEPTED. This chapter shall be liberally construed
  and applied to promote its underlying purpose to protect persons
  from, and provide adequate remedies to victims of, doxing.
         SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.