Posting someone's home address online could soon be a crime

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said she will change the law so posting someone's home address online is a crime. She acted after lifeboat volunteers who helped rescue migrants had their private details shared on the internet.

This sharing is called doxxing. It is like pinning someone's home address to a public noticeboard for strangers to see. Ministers said it is only illegal now if it is done with clear intent to cause fear, harm and distress. Ms Nandy said that rule leaves too much abuse outside the law. She spoke bluntly.

Ms Nandy spoke after holding a meeting with social media firms about doxxing. X did not attend. She called the company a disgrace for staying away. TikTok told her it would remove doxxing posts automatically, while Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said it would not, according to her account of the talks BBC.

She said she was appalled that RNLI volunteers, police officers, social workers and journalists had their names, photos and addresses published. The RNLI chief executive condemned the online and physical abuse aimed at volunteers over Channel crossings.

The trigger was events around Portsmouth. Ms Nandy acted after 120 people arrived there from France with RNLI help. That operation came before protests about Channel crossings. BBC Verify found posts about the operation that wrongly named RNLI crew members and asked people to track down their families. In a separate case reported earlier this month, an RNLI volunteer was called traitor online after being wrongly identified as helping people in small boats.

Ms Nandy had promised RNLI volunteers she would raise the abuse with the platforms. That promise led to this week's meeting.

The RNLI said only 109 of its 9,058 lifeboat launches last year were to help people in distress in the Channel. That is 1.2% of its rescue work. Its chief executive said about 95% of small boats were stopped by the UK Border Force BBC. The charity describes doxxing as sharing names, locations, contact details or other details that identify someone. It publishes a 'See it - report it' guide on how to report posts.

On enforcement, Ms Nandy said progress on the Online Safety Act, the law on safety duties for tech firms, has been incredibly slow. Two penalties have been given to companies so far, but no fines have yet been paid. She has previously said she decided to leave X, the platform owned by Elon Musk, over abuse and misinformation.

The broader context here is what happens next for policymakers. The questions fall into three parts. The first is the new law: whether to make publishing home addresses a separate crime, or to change the existing test of fear, harm and distress. The second is speed, as ministers are frustrated the Online Safety Act has yet to lead to a fine being paid. The third is the response of platforms, with TikTok and Meta taking different views on automatic removal. For officials advising on next steps, how these three fit together will matter more than any single announcement, as a wider law still relies on posts being spotted, passed on and prosecuted to change behaviour.