“Your bio literally says ‘more freedom'”: State rep accused of doxxing woman over Charlie Kirk flyer

After a video showed a young woman removing Charlie Kirk vigil flyers in a New Hampshire apartment lobby, state Rep. Sam Farrington asked followers on X to identify her. He then shared a Facebook profile he said belonged to the woman.

New Hampshire Rep. Sam Farrington asks followers to ID a woman

Farrington posted the first images of the woman holding what look like vigil flyers in security footage on Tuesday, nearly a week after Kirk‘s death in Utah. The state representative urged his followers to dig up her identity.

“Scumbag tearing down Charlie Kirk flyers posted with owner permission on private property in Durham,” he wrote. “Let’s find out who she is.”

A little over three hours later, he quote-tweeted this with another visual of the woman in the video next to a screenshot of Barrett’s Facebook account.

“Great job internet, we’ve got her,” he wrote.

It’s not at all clear whether they do, in fact, got her. The Facebook account, when accessed by a stranger, shows only a single photo of two people in hard hats. The one closest to the camera has a different hair color, and the further one’s face is obscured by the hat, glasses, and a peace sign. No other information is accessible.

Farrington didn’t stop with this one call to internet sleuths. On Wednesday, he posted a video by someone who followed a young man down the street after he poured some water on pro-Kirk sidewalk chalk.

“College student trying to ruin our Charlie Kirk vigil tonight at UNH,” said the politician. “Let’s make him famous!”

“Your bio literally says ‘more freedom’”

After more than a week of reports that many individuals have been doxxed and fired for posting criticism about Kirk, a U.S. state representative joining the fray led to blowback on social media.

“She took a piece of paper off the wall of her own apartment lobby and a United States government official is doxxing her,” wrote popular X user @esjesjesj.

Those who agree that this is a case of doxxing—and it would be by X standards previously set by Elon Musk—flooded Farrington’s follow-up tweet with anger and questions on why a state representative would target a private citizen.

“What y’all are doing is FAR more problematic than what she did,” wrote @JimothyBucket. “This is a completely disproportionate response. Your actions are beyond condemnable.”

Some commenters pointed out the hypocrisy.

“Lmao your bio literally says ‘more freedom’… the irony,” said @humairawins.

“So yall dox a girl..for taking down a piece of paper… softer than Charmin,” wrote @ifayemiiii.

The controversy soon spread to other social media platforms.

“An elected official in the United States used his platform to encourage harassment of a private citizen,” said Instagram user @america_we_need_to_talk_2.

“This is not how a democracy is supposed to function at all.”

Who is violating the law here?

On the right, many accused the woman in the apartment lobby of committing a criminal offense by tearing down the flyers. Farrington claims that the person who posted said flyers had the permission of the apartment owner, though it is unclear where he got this information.

Some claimed that taking down the flyers constitutes theft, though we don’t know if she kept them or threw them away, or even if she tore them down at all. Others brought up property destruction and even vandalism. Either way, the monetary value of the pieces of paper would be so low that the woman in the footage would likely only catch a misdemeanor charge, if she were charged with anything at all.

New Hampshire law requires property destruction to destroy at least $100 worth of property to label it a Class A misdemeanor. Lesser charges are still possible below that amount.

Doxxing laws remain new legal territory, and not every state has its own. New Hampshire attempted to pass a law prohibiting the “cyberbullying, cyberstalking, and doxxing of a public servant,” but that may not apply to this woman, and it also died in committee.

X policy, as of March 2024, reads:

“You may not threaten to expose, incentivize others to expose, or publish or post other people’s private information without their express authorization and permission, or share private media of individuals without their consent,” the policy states.

The Daily Dot has reached out to Rep. Sam Farrington via email and Helen Barrett via Facebook.