Attorney General Anthony G. Brown Releases Maryland Online Hate and Cyberbullying Guidance

Attorney General Anthony G. Brown has announced new public guidance aimed at helping Maryland residents, schools, businesses, and community groups respond to online hate, harassment, and cyberbullying. The guidance outlines steps people can take to preserve evidence, report incidents, assess safety risks, and understand possible legal protections. The document addresses issues including online threats, cyberstalking, doxxing, deepfakes, impersonation, and school-related cyberbullying, while also explaining the difference between protected speech and unlawful conduct. Maryland residents can report hate crimes or hate bias incidents through the Attorney General’s Civil Rights Division, hotline, email, or online reporting portal.

Additional Information from the Maryland Attorney General’s Office:

Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today announced the release of “Responding to Online Hate, Harassment, and Cyberbullying in Maryland,” a new public guidance document designed to help Maryland residents, families, schools, businesses, nonprofits, and community groups understand what to do when faced with online hate, harassment, or cyberbullying. 

Online hate and harassment can take many forms, including direct threats of violence, doxxing, cyberstalking, mass anonymous text messages, impersonation, deepfakes, review-bombing, and school-related cyberbullying. The guidance, developed by the Office of the Attorney General’s Civil Rights Division in collaboration with the Maryland Commission on Hate Crime Response and Prevention, provides practical steps Marylanders can take to preserve evidence, report harmful conduct, assess safety risks, and understand when legal protections or reporting options may apply. 

“Online hate and harassment aren’t just words on a screen: they can cause real harm to Marylanders and strike fear in the hearts of their loved ones,” said Attorney General Brown. “This guidance gives Marylanders the tools to protect themselves and preserve their rights, and know that when hatred follows them online, this Office will be in their corner.” 

The guidance explains how Marylanders can respond to common scenarios while also recognizing the important legal distinction between hateful or offensive speech that may be protected by the First Amendment and unlawful conduct, such as true threats, stalking, harassment, incitement, extortion, or conduct that interferes with access to housing, employment, education, or places open to the public. It includes practical tools for individuals, families, schools, youth organizations, small businesses, nonprofits, and event organizers.  

The guidance also explains the roles of the Civil Rights Division, the Maryland Commission on Hate Crime Response and Prevention, the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights, local human rights agencies, schools, law enforcement, and other community resources. 

Marylanders who are in immediate danger should call 911. Marylanders seeking to report a hate crime or hate bias incident may contact the Civil Rights Division by submitting a complaint to: Civil Rights Complaint Form or by calling the Hate Crimes Hotline at 1-866-481-8361, emailing stophate@oag.maryland.gov, or using the No Home for Hate reporting portal.  

A Spanish version of the guidance is available here.