Ted Budd (R-NC)
Special Operator Protection Act of 2026
A Republican bill with 1 Democratic cosponsor · See the cosponsor
Last activity — Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Special Operator Protection Act of 2026 aims to amend title 18 of the United States Code to prohibit the doxing of specific individuals. It targets the act of making restricted personal information about covered persons or their immediate families publicly available with specific intents. Covered persons include members of special operations forces, certain Department of Defense employees, and specific Federal law enforcement officers. The law prohibits releasing such information to threaten, intimidate, or facilitate a crime of violence. Violators could face fines and prison sentences of up to five years. If the violation results in death or serious bodily injury, penalties can increase to life in prison.
Yes· 3 of 5
- Scored +8
Does this protect people from being watched or searched?
The bill criminalizes the unauthorized release of sensitive personal information intended to threaten or intimidate individuals.
- Scored +7
Does this give people more control over their personal data?
The bill restricts the public availability of sensitive personal data like social security numbers and biometric data for covered persons.
- Scored +5
Would veterans be better off under this, taking everything together?
The bill provides safety and privacy protections for members of the special operations forces.
The opposite
- Scored -3
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?
The bill restricts the public availability of certain information related to Department of Defense employees performing sensitive activities.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Protection of personal privacy for military and law enforcement personnel: The bill protects "covered persons"—including special operations forces, specific Department of Defense employees, and attached Federal law enforcement officers—by restricting the public availability of sensitive data like home addresses, social security numbers, and biometric data (Section 2(a)(1) and 2(a)(4)).
-
Safety for families: The protections extend to the "immediate family" of the covered person, which could prevent targeting of their relatives (Section 2(a)(1) and 2(b)).
-
Deterrence of violence and intimidation: By criminalizing the release of information intended to "threaten, intimidate, or incite the commission of a crime of violence," the bill provides a legal mechanism to stop doxing used for these purposes (Section 2(b)(1) and 2(b)(2)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No specific negative impacts are mentioned in the text provided.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Education And Technology
- Does this give people more control over their personal data? — The bill restricts the public availability of sensitive personal data like social security numbers and biometric data for covered persons.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would veterans be better off under this, taking everything together? — The bill provides safety and privacy protections for members of the special operations forces.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this protect people from being watched or searched? — The bill criminalizes the unauthorized release of sensitive personal information intended to threaten or intimidate individuals. Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — The bill restricts the public availability of certain information related to Department of Defense employees performing sensitive activities.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Does this change how police departments operate? — The bill provides enhanced legal protections for federal law enforcement officers attached to special operations personnel.
- National Security And Foreign Policy
- Does this increase the pay, pensions or support veterans receive? — The bill provides increased personal security for members of the special operations forces through data privacy protections.
- 1/15/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Jeanne ShaheenDemocrat · New Hampshire