Bill · S. 2851· Senate(119-S-2851)
Protecting Americans from Doxing and Political Violence Act
- Introduced
- 9/17/2025
- Last activity
- 9/17/2025 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- Sponsored by
- Ron Wyden
- Cosponsors
- None
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The "Protecting Americans from Doxing and Political Violence Act" aims to increase the safety of Members of Congress, their families, and specific congressional staff. The bill establishes protocols for protecting "covered information," which includes highly personal data like home addresses, phone numbers, and social security numbers. It grants these "at-risk individuals" the right to request that government agencies mark their information as private. Additionally, the act places restrictions on data brokers regarding the sale of such personal data. It also requires certain businesses to remove personal information from the internet upon receiving a written request. Ultimately, the bill provides legal avenues for recourse if these protections are violated.
Yes· 3 of 4
Does this protect people from being watched or searched?+8
The bill provides mechanisms for at-risk individuals to have highly sensitive personal data removed from public view and the internet.
Does this give people more control over their personal data?+7
The bill creates strict requirements for the removal of personal information from the internet and limits data broker transactions.
Does this give people more protection from unfair business practices?+5
The bill restricts data brokers from selling sensitive personal information of at-risk individuals.
The opposite
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?-3
The bill allows government agencies to hide specific personal information from public view upon request.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Enhanced Privacy for Congressional Families: At-risk individuals, including spouses, parents, siblings, and children of Members of Congress, can request that government agencies mark their personal information as private (Section 2(b)(1)).
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Rapid Removal of Sensitive Data: Government agencies are required to remove covered information from publicly available content within 72 hours of receiving a request from an at-sks individual (Section 2(b)(2)(B)).
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Restrictions on Data Brokerage: The bill makes it unlawful for data brokers to knowingly sell, license, trade, or purchase the covered information of a covered person (Section 2(d)(1)(A)(ii)).
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Control Over Online Presence: Other businesses must remove covered information from the internet and its subsidiary websites within 72 hours after receiving a written request from an at-risk individual (Section 2(d)(2)(A)(i)).
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Legal Recourse for Privacy Violations: At-risk individuals whose information is made public due to a violation of this act can bring an action in a court of competent jurisdiction seeking injunctive or declaratory relief (Section 2(e)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Exceptions for News and Speech: The protections do not apply to the display of covered information if it is part of a news story, commentary, editorial, or other speech on a matter of public concern (Section 2(d)(1)(B)(ii) and Section 2(d)(2)(B)(ii)).
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Limited Scope for Government Information: The bill does not prohibit the disclosure of information that is otherwise required under Federal law (Section 2(f)(1)(A)(iii)).
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Exclusion of Certain Information: Information required to be filed with the Federal Election Commission or other required Federal or State reports is not considered covered information (Section 2(a)(5)(B)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Education And Technology
- Improves Data Privacy+7
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Consumer Protection+5
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Privacy Rights+8Improves Government Transparency-3
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For People With Disabilities+1
- 9/17/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- Introduced in Senate
2 bills Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.