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.
Nandy met with social media companies on Tuesday to address the harassment of RNLI volunteers after they assisted a boat carrying migrants. She noted that platforms have inconsistent approaches to removing personal information shared online and specifically criticized Elon Musk's X for its perceived lack of engagement, stating the company showed "contempt" by not sending a representative to the meeting. X did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Broader government plans include a more interventionist approach to policing online spaces, which Nandy believes have been inadequately policed by the private sector for too long. The government also intends for the regulator Ofcom to enforce the Online Safety Act more swiftly and robustly, with a review of Ofcom's resources and powers currently underway.