HR 5118119th CongressIn Committee

Protecting Law Enforcement from Doxxing Act

Introduced: Sep 3, 2025

Sponsor: Rep. Ogles, Andrew [R-TN-5] (R-Tennessee)

Civil Rights & JusticeTechnology & Innovation

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The Protecting Law Enforcement from Doxxing Act would add a new criminal provision to 18 U.S.C. § 1510. It creates an unlawful act when someone publicly releases the name of a federal law enforcement officer with the specific intent to obstruct a federal criminal investigation or an immigration enforcement operation. The bill defines who qualifies as a Federal law enforcement officer and establishes penalties of up to 5 years in prison, a fine, or both. It also makes conforming amendments to ensure immigration enforcement operations are treated the same as criminal investigations in related cross-references and tables. The overall goal is to deter the doxxing (publicly sharing personal identifying information) of federal officers when done to interfere with investigations or immigration enforcement activities.

Key Points

1Prohibition on doxxing: It is illegal to publicly release the name of a federal law enforcement officer if done with the intent to obstruct a criminal investigation or an immigration enforcement operation.
2Definition of target: A “Federal law enforcement officer” includes any U.S. officer, agent, or employee authorized to engage in or supervise the prevention, detection, investigation, or prosecution of federal criminal or immigration law violations.
3Penalties: Violating the new provision carries a fine, imprisonment for up to 5 years, or both.
4Scope of obstruction: The prohibition covers both traditional criminal investigations and immigration enforcement operations (expanded scope to include immigration enforcement).
5Technical/conforming amendments: The bill revises the section heading for §1510 and adjusts related cross-references in other statutes to reflect the inclusion of immigration enforcement operations alongside criminal investigations.

Impact Areas

Primary affected group: Federal law enforcement officers (and their organizations) who could be targeted by doxxing; individuals or entities that publicly disclose officers’ names with the intent to obstruct.Secondary affected groups: Public actors and platforms that publish or republish identities of federal officers; agencies involved in criminal investigations and immigration enforcement operations; potential collateral impacts on journalists, researchers, or advocacy groups concerned with safety and transparency.Additional impacts: Possible chilling effect on discourse or reporting where identifying officers is relevant to public accountability; potential legal questions about what constitutes “publicly available” information or the intent to obstruct, and how to prove intent. May raise First Amendment considerations around freedom of speech and publication, balanced against protecting officers from harm or interference in investigations.

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