Victoria Police makes first doxxing investigation arrest

Victoria Police has made its first arrest as part of an investigation into a mass doxxing of Jewish creatives in which more than 100 community members had their personal details leaked online.

Victoria Police arrested a woman in September as part of its investigation into February’s mass doxxing. She will appear before a Magistrates Court in December. Picture: Diego Fedele

Victoria Police has made its first arrest as part of an investigation into a mass doxxing of Jewish creatives in February in which more than 500 Jewish community members had their personal details leaked online.

VicPol launched an investigation into those leaks, and ensuing harassment and threats, before Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus proposed “anti-doxxing” criminal provisions in September.

The Australian can reveal police have now made an arrest as part of that investigation, with a spokeswoman confirming a Melbourne woman had recently been interviewed and arrested, and expected to be summonsed to appear in court.

While charges haven’t yet been laid – although they are anticipated at the woman’s first court appearance – it marks a significant development as police forces attempt to prosecute hatred and harassment since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war, and navigate that conflict’s effect on Australian society.

“Moorabbin Crime Investigation Unit detectives arrested and interviewed a woman following an investigation into the posting of offensive material on a social media platform in February 2024,” a Victoria Police spokeswoman said.

“A 34-year-old Preston woman was arrested in September (and) is expected to be summonsed to attend a Magistrates Court at a later date.”

The woman is not accused of being the source of the leak, nor do the allegations pertain to involvement in the ensuing dissemination of personal details.

Rather, The Australian understands, the allegations relate to alleged threats made against some of those Jewish creatives doxxed.

The Preston woman will appear at Heidelberg Magistrates Court in December, where any charges are expected to be laid on summons.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has proposed ‘anti-doxxing’ criminal protections. Picture: Martin Ollman

The Australian understands some of the allegations pertain to threatening one Jewish creative after they had become aware of their home address, and some allegations predate February’s mass doxxing.

The practice of doxxing – prior to Mr Dreyfus’s proposed reforms – does not typically constitute a criminal offence, although some Jewish leaders believe it could breach commonwealth protections against using a carriage service to harass or menace, but that is disputed.

The development comes after The Australian revealed how activists widely disseminated the doxxed details of the creatives in February, including hundreds of social media posts including names, address, places of work and pictures.

The federal government’s proposed criminal protections against the “malicious release” of personal details, as drafted, would carry a maximum six-year prison sentence, but which would not be retrospective.

In August, The Australian revealed how several of the doxxed creatives had filed a complaint to the Australian Federal Police over the incident, offering information to help identify “person X”, whom the group alleges is central to February’s mass doxxing.

It’s understood the complaint remains with the AFP’s intelligence arm, which continues to make inquiries.

The New York Times confirmed its reporter, Natasha Frost, had exported the Jewish creatives’ WhatsApp chat, before sharing that it was a “subject of a story” – Person X, as alleged in the AFP complaint – who is then alleged to have “misused” the information before it ended up in the hands of activists.

Greta Gertler Gold, Geoff Sirmai and Talia Emsalem, three Sydney-based Jewish creatives who were doxxed in February. Picture: John Feder

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry led calls for the introduction of criminal provisions to outlaw doxxing and its president, Daniel Aghion, has previously said the Council was “grateful that the government listened”.

“We look forward to working with the government to ensure the full extent of the harm caused is understood and that the new laws effectively protect Australians from this shameful and dangerous practice (doxxing),“ he said.

News of the VicPol arrest follows retail giant Myer’s weekend cancellation of the launch of its Melbourne Christmas windows after protest threats from pro-Palestine activists. Protest organising group Disrupt Wars argued protesting genocide was “always appropriate”.

“Palestine is the issue here, not a few stuffed animals behind glass,’’ the group said.

Premier Jacinta Allan had been highly critical of the protesters, saying she was “furious” that a group chose to “politicise” a children’s event.

“I’m just as mad at all the others who have quietly stoked this division and egged them on,” she said on Friday.

“Blocking the Christmas windows won’t change a thing in the Middle East, but it will let down a bunch of kids in Melbourne.”