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Read. Follow. Verify.West Virginia Bill HB 5427 Establishes Criminal Penalties and Civil Remedies for Doxxing
Last action · February 10, 2026: To House JudiciarySponsors: Bill Ridenour and 10 others
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What This Bill Proposed
House Bill 5427 creates the "Anti-Doxxing and Privacy Protection Act," prohibiting the malicious publication of with intent to harass, threaten, or stalk. The measure establishes misdemeanor and felony criminal penalties, civil remedies for victims, and procedures for redacting personal information from government records, effective April 1, 2026.
Residents face new criminal liability and civil penalties for publishing personal details online without consent, while victims gain the right to sue for damages and request record redactions from state and local agencies.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Law-enforcement officers, healthcare workers, and public officials
Violations involving these public-service professionals and their immediate family members constitute an aggravated offense carrying higher prison terms and fines.
Journalists and academic researchers
Good-faith reporting and research concerning matters of legitimate public concern are explicitly excluded from the bill's prohibitions.
State and local government agencies
Agencies must establish procedures for individuals to request the redaction of personally identifiable information from publicly accessible records.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is considered "doxxing" under this bill?
Are journalists and news organizations exempt from these rules?
Can individuals remove their personal information from government records?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
4 actions- Feb 10, 2026HouseCommitteeTo House Judiciary
- Feb 10, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced in House
- Feb 10, 2026HouseCommitteeTo Judiciary
- Feb 10, 2026HouseIntroducedFiled for introduction
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Show 6 more sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Creation of Specific Anti-Doxxing Criminal Statute
The legislation fills perceived gaps in existing state law by establishing a dedicated criminal and civil framework specifically targeting the malicious publication of personal data.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.wvlegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 80)
- Controversy65Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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