Doxxing to carry seven years' jail as new hate laws set to be introduced to federal parliament

People who maliciously reveal private information about someone online could soon face up to seven years in prison.

People found to have doxxed someone will face a maximum of six years in prison, while offenders will get up to seven years behind bars if a person has been targeted due to factors such as race, religion or sexual orientation.

Doxxing refers to revealing a person’s private information such as phone number or address without their consent and is often used to encourage harassment.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus pledged to move on the issue after details of hundreds of Jewish people were published online earlier, including photos of them, and social media details.

Laws being introduced to federal parliament on Thursday will move to outlaw the practice known as doxxing, in which data such as a person’s address or phone number is posted online to harass people.

The crackdown would strengthen protections online and give people greater control over their personal information, Mr Dreyfus said ahead of introducing legislation on Thursday.

“Australians have a right to have their privacy respected, and when they are asked to hand over their data they have a right to expect it will be protected,” he said.

A children’s privacy code has been included to specifically protect kids from online harms.

The law won’t cover changing small business exemptions, informal consent so big companies can’t entrap consumers with complicated terms and conditions and the right to forget, which covers revoking access to public information.

The three measures and further considerations for a possible second tranche of privacy legislation are being considered by the attorney-general but are unlikely to be formalised before the federal election, which is due by May 2025.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it was “unacceptable” people could be targeted due to their faith.

While hate speech laws promised alongside the doxxing crackdown will be introduced on Thursday, they have been walked back after negotiations for separate religious freedom and anti-discrimination laws fell over.

The friction point between Labor and the opposition over balancing anti-discrimination carve-outs for religious beliefs - such as being able to sack gay staff - and removing dangerous prejudices has spilled over into hate speech laws.

The revised bill is not expected to include serious penalties for vilification which were billed as a response to rising levels of anti-Semitism and vilification targeting minority groups.

It is likely to reignite debate over protecting minority communities and tackling anti-Semitism after some Jewish and Muslim groups and the queer community welcomed the initial announcement of anti-vilification laws.

Others have raised concerns about the impact on free speech.

State and territory laws cover vilification.