MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Legislation that would shield government employee’s personal information from public records received a favorable report in committee on Wednesday.
House Bill 286, sponsored by Rep. Shane Stringer, R-Citronelle, would prohibit the disclosure of personal identifying information of law enforcement officers and employees upon the request of the officer or employee.
“Our law enforcement officers and prosecutors and judges are being doxed more and more than they ever have,” Stringer said.
Doxing is the finding and online publishing of private or identifying information with malicious intent.
“One of the ways (people are) doing that is by researching public records, such as probate records, to see where (law enforcement officers and employees) have land or where they live, so they can put that information out for people to come to their residence or home with the intention to cause them problems,” Stringer said.
Judges, district attorneys, investigators, sheriffs, jailers and law enforcement officers are among the employees that can request the redaction of identifying information from any document prior to disclosure.
The bill would not redact the officer or employee’s name from a document.
The Alabama Constitution classifies identifying information as any information used either alone or in conjunction with other information specifically identifies a person or a person’s property.
Redacted information could include an officer or employee’s home address, phone number, date of birth, or information otherwise used to access financial resources, obtain identification, act as identification, or obtain goods or services.
Law enforcement officers and employees can decide which documents they want redacted.
Georgia passed similar legislation to protect from public disclosure of certain personal information of public employees earlier this year.
The bill has 14 co-sponsors and now moves to the House for a vote.