Key facts
- The UK government will update the Online Safety Act to criminalize doxxing.
- Publishing private or personal information online without consent will become an offense.
- The move follows online abuse against Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) volunteers.
- Digital Secretary Lisa Nandy met with social media platforms to discuss the issue.
- X (formerly Twitter) was criticized for not sending a representative to the meeting.
- The government plans to be more interventionist in policing online spaces.
The U.K. government is set to criminalize the act of 'doxxing' by updating the Online Safety Act, following a wave of online abuse directed at volunteers of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). Digital Secretary Lisa Nandy announced that publishing individuals' addresses online without their consent will become a criminal offense.