The Special Operator Protection Act makes it a federal crime to publicly share personal information about special operations personnel, certain sensitive Department of Defense employees, and federal law enforcement officers working with special operations forces—a practice known as "doxing." The law applies to information such as names linked to workplace, home addresses, photos, phone numbers, email addresses, social security numbers, birthdates, and biometric data. The offense occurs when someone knowingly releases this information with intent to threaten, intimidate, or incite violence against these individuals or their immediate families, or knowing the information will be used for those purposes. Violations carry penalties of up to 5 years in prison and fines, while violations resulting in death or serious bodily injury can result in life imprisonment. The bill protects a broad category of covered persons including special operations force members, military and DoD employees involved in sensitive activities as designated by the Secretary of Defense, and law enforcement officers attached to special operations units, along with their immediate families.
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