Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-73

§119 Protection of individuals performing certain official duties

Title 18 › Part PART I— - CRIMES › Chapter CHAPTER 7— - ASSAULT › § 119

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

It is illegal to knowingly make a person's private contact details public if you mean to threaten them, or if you know the details will be used to threaten or help carry out a violent crime against them. Restricted personal information means things like a Social Security number, home address, home or mobile phone, personal email, or home fax. Covered person means certain protected officials, jurors, witnesses, informants, and state or local officers who helped a federal investigation. "Crime of violence" and "immediate family" are defined in other federal law.

Full Legal Text

Title 18, §119

Crimes and Criminal Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Whoever knowingly makes restricted personal information about a covered person, or a member of the immediate family of that covered person, publicly available—

(1)with the intent to threaten, intimidate, or incite the commission of a crime of violence against that covered person, or a member of the immediate family of that covered person; or

(2)with the intent and knowledge that the restricted personal information will be used to threaten, intimidate, or facilitate the commission of a crime of violence against that covered person, or a member of the immediate family of that covered person,

(b)In this section—

(1)the term “restricted personal information” means, with respect to an individual, the Social Security number, the home address, home phone number, mobile phone number, personal email, or home fax number of, and identifiable to, that individual;

(2)the term “covered person” means—

(A)an individual designated in section 1114;

(B)a grand or petit juror, witness, or other officer in or of, any court of the United States, or an officer who may be, or was, serving at any examination or other proceeding before any United States magistrate judge or other committing magistrate;

(C)an informant or witness in a Federal criminal investigation or prosecution; or

(D)a State or local officer or employee whose restricted personal information is made publicly available because of the participation in, or assistance provided to, a Federal criminal investigation by that officer or employee;

(3)the term “crime of violence” has the meaning given the term in section 16; and

(4)the term “immediate family” has the meaning given the term in section 115(c)(2).

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

18 U.S.C. § 119

Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal Procedure

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73