A 11118: Prohibits the disclosure of the home address, personal telephone numbers, personal email addresses or personal social media handles of any active or former New York state, New York city or local municipal emergency first responder, a judge of any court of law of this state, or a New York state, county or municipal prosecutor or the spouse or child thereof; relates to criminal penalties; permits civil action.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 11118  IN ASSEMBLY April 24, 2026 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. O'PHARROW -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Operations AN ACT to amend the public officers law, the penal law and the civil rights law, in relation to prohibiting the disclosure and publication of the home address, personal telephone numbers, personal email addresses, or social media handles of any active or former New York state, New York city or local municipal emergency first responder, a judge of any court of law of this state, or a New York state, county or municipal prosecutor The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 89 of the public officers law is amended by adding 2 a new subdivision 7-a to read as follows: 3 7-a. (a) Nothing in this article shall permit the disclosure or publi- 4 cation of the home address, personal telephone numbers, personal email 5 addresses, or personal social media handles of any active or former New 6 York state, New York city or local municipal emergency first responder, 7 a judge of any court of law of this state, or a New York state, county 8 or municipal prosecutor. 9 (b) "First responder" or "New York state, New York city, or local 10 municipal emergency first responder" shall mean a police officer, peace 11 officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, paramedic, or other 12 emergency medical services provider engaged in the lawful performance of 13 their official duties. 14 § 2. The penal law is amended by adding two new sections 250.61 and 15 250.62 to read as follows: 16 § 250.61 Unlawful disclosure of the home address, personal telephone 17 numbers, personal email addresses or personal social media 18 handles of any active or former New York state, New York city 19 or local municipal emergency first responder, a judge of any 20 court of law of this state, or a New York state, county or 21 municipal prosecutor in the second degree. 22 For the purposes of this section, "first responder" or "New York 23 state, New York city or local municipal emergency first responder" shall EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD15605-01-6 
 A. 11118 2 1 mean a police officer, peace officer, firefighter, emergency medical 2 technician, paramedic, or other emergency medical services provider 3 engaged in the lawful performance of their official duties. 4 A person shall not knowingly, with reckless disregard for the proba- 5 bility of exposure of another to harassment or risk of harm to life or 6 property, disclose or post or publish in any way including on the inter- 7 net the home address, personal telephone numbers, personal email 8 addresses or personal social media handles of any active or former New 9 York state, New York city or local municipal emergency first responder, 10 a judge of any court of law of this state, or a state, county or munici- 11 pal prosecutor. 12 Unlawful disclosure of the home address, personal telephone numbers, 13 personal email addresses or personal social media handles of any active 14 or former New York state, New York city or local municipal emergency 15 first responder, a judge of any court of law of this state, or a New 16 York state, county or municipal prosecutor in the second degree is a 17 class A misdemeanor. 18 § 250.62 Unlawful disclosure of the home address, personal telephone 19 numbers, personal email addresses, or personal social media 20 handles of any active or former New York state, New York city 21 or local municipal emergency first responder, a judge of any 22 court of law of this state, or a New York state, county or 23 municipal prosecutor, or the spouse or child thereof in the 24 first degree. 25 For the purposes of this section, "first responder" or "New York 26 state, New York city or local municipal emergency first responder" shall 27 mean a police officer, peace officer, firefighter, emergency medical 28 technician, paramedic, or other emergency medical services provider 29 engaged in the lawful performance of their official duties. 30 A person shall not knowingly, with intent to expose another to harass- 31 ment or risk of harm to life or property, disclose, post or publish in 32 any way including on the internet the home address, personal telephone 33 numbers, personal email addresses, or personal social media handles of 34 any active or former New York state, New York city or local municipal 35 emergency first responder, a judge of any court of law of this state, or 36 a New York state, county or municipal prosecutor, or the spouse or child 37 thereof. 38 Unlawful disclosure of the home address, personal telephone numbers, 39 personal email addresses, or personal social media handles of any active 40 or former New York state, New York city or local municipal emergency 41 first responder, a judge of any court of law of this state, or a New 42 York state, county or municipal prosecutor, or the spouse or child ther- 43 eof in the first degree is a class E felony. 44 § 3. The civil rights law is amended by adding a new section 50-h to 45 read as follows: 46 § 50-h. Disclosure of the home address, personal telephone numbers, 47 personal email addresses, or personal social media handles of any active 48 or former New York state, New York city or local municipal emergency 49 first responder, a judge of any court of law of this state, or a New 50 York state, county or municipal prosecutor is prohibited. 1. For the 51 purposes of this section: 52 (a) "First responder" or "New York state, New York city or local 53 municipal emergency first responder" shall mean a police officer, peace 54 officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, paramedic, or other 55 emergency medical services provider engaged in the lawful performance of 56 official duties. 
 A. 11118 3 1 (b) "Disclose" shall mean to solicit, sell, manufacture, give, 2 provide, lend, trade, mail, deliver, transfer, publish, distribute, 3 circulate, disseminate, present, exhibit, advertise or offer. 4 2. No person, business, or association shall disclose or post or 5 publish in any way including on the internet the home address, personal 6 telephone numbers, personal email addresses, or personal social media 7 handles of an active or former New York state, New York city or local 8 municipal emergency first responder, a judge of any court of law of this 9 state, or a New York state, county or municipal prosecutor or spouse or 10 child thereof under circumstances in which a reasonable person would 11 believe that providing that information would expose another to harass- 12 ment or risk of harm to life or property. 13 3. A person, business, or association that violates subdivision two of 14 this section shall be liable to the active or former New York state, New 15 York city or local municipal emergency first responder, judge of any 16 court of law of this state, or state, county or municipal prosecutor, 17 the spouse or child thereof, or any other person residing at the home 18 address of such individual, who may bring a civil action in the supreme 19 court. 20 4. The court may award: 21 (a) actual damages, but not less than liquidated damages computed at 22 the rate of one thousand dollars for each violation of this section; 23 (b) punitive damages upon proof of willful or reckless disregard of 24 the law; 25 (c) reasonable attorneys' fees and other litigation costs reasonably 26 incurred; and 27 (d) any other preliminary and equitable relief as the court determines 28 to be appropriate. 29 § 4. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall 30 have become a law.