Doj Reveals Plans To Protect Doxed Staff

The Department of Justice spun up a new protocol to protect employees from malicious doxing in the waning days of the Biden administration, but it’s unclear what its fate will be under President Donald Trump’s new attorney general.

In a memo sent on Jan. 10 to department leaders and obtained by POLITICO, Assistant Attorney General Jolene Lauria wrote that “in light of recent incidents,” the agency implemented new guidelines to protect employees who are exposed to online threats and harassment.

Numerous DOJ staffers have been the victim of doxing in recent years. FBI agents named on the warrant to raid Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort had their personal information posted online, and they and their families were the target of online threats and harassment. And staff handling Jan. 6-related litigation and immigration cases have also been specifically targeted and threatened, according to an October letter sent from DOJ staffers to then-Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco and Lauria.

“Unfortunately, some of our employees have been subject to doxing – the malicious act of publicly sharing personal information with the intent to intimidate, harass, or threaten. No one should be threatened, harassed or intimidated simply for doing their job,” the memo said.

The DOJ didn’t respond to a request for comment. A representative for Pam Bondi, Trump’s pick for attorney general, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

It is unclear how much of these new protections will remain in the Trump administration, which has spent much of its first days reversing the Biden administration’s work. One of Trump’s first executive orders makes it easier to fire federal workers by removing certain due process protections.

The memo details new protocols that DOJ will take in response to doxing incidents. It includes coordinating responses across the department, providing training for managers, and providing security briefings to affected employees.