That is what the Minister of Justice and Security, Ferd Grapperhaus, tells today in the Telegraph. Publishing personal information online with the aim that others can harass these people is also known as ‘doxing’.
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Doxing: a dark side of social media
The death of a 14-year-old Belgian girl brought last month once again revealing the dark side of social media. Nude photos and videos appeared to be shared in various closed groups on the internet, the Flemish broadcaster VRT revealed.
In these so-called ‘exposure groups’, in addition to images, telephone numbers and other private data are also shared. So doxing. Messages are sent such as: “Spamming everyone massively, this hooker is difficult”, “Spam everyone on WhatsApp, call her”, and “Call and app her broke”.
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Threatening or stalking someone is already punishable, doxing is not yet and that must change, according to Grapperhaus. “The great ease with which some people think they can intimidate by spreading private information about others is beyond rude,” he told the newspaper.
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Maximum one year in prison
If it is up to Grapperhaus, there will be a maximum of one year in prison for violators of the new law. According to the minister, not only the police and the Public Prosecution Service (OM) can then act against doxing, thanks to the new law, victims will also become more resilient.
They can rely on internet providers and online platforms to have data removed.
Exceptions for journalists
There will be exceptions to the law, for example for journalists and whistleblowers. This way they can continue to do their job and disclose abuses and personal data, if this is in the public interest.
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