Australia to ban doxxing after pro-Palestinian activists publish personal information about almost 600 Jews

The Australian government said that it plans to ban doxxing after pro-Palestinian activists published personal information about hundreds of Jewish people in the land down under, according to the Associated Press. Doxxing is generally understood as the malicious release of personal information without that person's approval.

The proposed laws have not yet been drafted, but they would include take-down notices to social media platforms and issuing fines to those guilty of doxxing another person, according to Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus. The government decided to take action after reports last week revealed that pro-Palestinian activists pushed out personal information of Jewish people working in academia and other creative industries.

Pro-Palestinian activists around the world have become especially anti-Israel since Hamas launched a surprise attack against the Jewish state on October 7, when 1,200 Israelis were murdered and another 253 were abducted and taken back to Gaza. Since then, Israel has carried out ground-based military operations in Gaza to eradicate Hamas from the area.

The Anti-Defamation League reported late last year that anti-Semitism skyrocketed after the October 7 attacks. The organization said it "recorded a total of 312 antisemitic incidents between Oct. 7-23, 2023, 190 of which were directly linked to the war in Israel and Gaza."

The pro-Palestinian activists in Australia have come under fire after they released a 900-page transcript that leaked, via WhatsApp, the names and personal details of almost 600 Jewish people. Those whose information was released are writers, artists, musicians, and academics, per the report.

Dreyfus mentioned that the proposed laws would increase Australian protections against hate speech. But he did not provide details about how the new laws would work.

“The increasing use of online platforms to harm people through practices like doxxing, the malicious release of their personal information without their permission, is a deeply disturbing development,” Dreyfus said.

“The recent targeting of members of the Australian Jewish community through those practices like doxxing was shocking, but sadly, this is far from being an isolated incident,” Dreyfus continued.

But author Clementine Ford, who was one of the activists who took part in the release of the personal information, said the act should not be considered doxxing. "This chat demonstrated extremely organised moves to punish Palestinian activists and their allies,” Ford shared on Instagram.

Dreyfus tried to clarify specifically how he defined doxxing, and he said that it was the "malicious release, publicly, of personal information of people without their consent."

“We live in a vibrant multicultural community which we should strive to protect,” Dreyfus added.

The Times of Israel reported that the Australian government's plan to ban doxxing was welcome by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.

Council president Daniel Aghion said, "We look forward to working with the government to ensure the full extent of the harm caused is understood and that the new laws effectively protect Australians from this shameful and dangerous practice."

It is not currently known when the new laws would be enforced.

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