There has been a constitutional crisis brewing across the United States for the past several years.
The federal government and several states have been violating our rights as often as they can.
Now Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is working hard to make sure the US Constitution is null and void.
Pritzker attacked the Second Amendment and now he’s moving on to the First Amendment
Illinois is on track to eliminate everything that conservatives love about the United States Constitution. Governor Pritzker has made multiple attempts to curtail the Second Amendment and now he’s coming for the First Amendment. Not surprising that it was in that order.
The most recent attack on the Second Amendment was the statewide ban on the possession of so-called assault weapons. That ban was challenged but has been ruled constitutional by the Supreme Court in a recent 4-3 ruling. It will likely be appealed at a federal level.
Now Pritzker is moving on to attacking the First Amendment with the Civil Liability for Doxing Act which would give courts the job of deciding whether speech is protected online or not. The law would allow “those who are doxed” to bring about civil suits against the alleged doxer.
A major problem can be found in the state’s definition of the word doxing.
The new law would loosen the standards of what is considered doxing
The common definition of the word “doxing” is the practice of sharing personal information online that can be used to physically harm or harass the victim. Usually, it would require the exposure of the victim in the real world and not just in an online setting.
However, the law has been written in a way that is intentionally broad and goes beyond the normal use of the word. It describes the sharing of “personally identifiable information” in any way. The personally identifiable information could be as simple as the person’s name and education level.
While there is a list of other information that could constitute doxing, most of the information is publicly available online already. Previously doxing would be the publishing of confidential or highly protected information but the Illinois bill changes that requirement in the definition.
This leaves the law open to wide interpretation, but the state says that it’s a necessary step forward.
Democrats in Illinois view the move as “absolutely critical” in today’s technological environment
Democrat State Senator Julie Morrison sponsored the bill that was signed by Pritzker earlier this week. She says that she believes that the move was necessary in the current technological landscape, and she hopes it will help prevent online harassment.
“It is absolutely critical for our laws to evolve with the changing nature of cyber world. This legislation provides a necessary solution to the dangerous practice of doxing, by both helping victims and deterring future bad actors,” Morrison said in a statement following the signing of the bill.
Critics of the bill say that it will be used in a subjective manner, tailored to apply to people who are speaking against the current ideological push of the judiciary in Illinois. It could be as simple as posting criticisms of a politician online.
Stay tuned to Blue State Blues for any updates to this ongoing story.
