What is Doxxing

Doxxing is a form of online abuse done through the unauthorized disclosure of personal information about someone without their consent.  This information (also referred to as “doxx” or documents) can be collected from a variety of sources.  This includes publicly disclosed information on websites and social media, as well as obtained through illegitimate means such as hacking.  The goal of doxxing is to use the disclosure of this information, or the threat of disclosure, to change the behavior of the victim.  It is a form of cyber bullying.  Haverford College considers acts of doxxing by Haverford community members as a violation of the Acceptable Use Policy, and the Honor Code.

 

Common pieces of information collected to doxx a target would include things such as:

• Name and home address

• Job information such as job history and salary

• Personal phone numbers

• Private conversations or photographs

• Personal connections such as friends and family

 

Increasingly, this sort of abuse is done to attack people of opposing viewpoints in order to control their behavior.

 

How to avoid Doxxing

Remember that when you put information on the Internet, it can never truly be deleted. Before you share anything on social media, a personal website, or any other online resource, think about the long term consequences.  If you wouldn’t want a stranger to know this information, do not include it in a profile.  If this information were to be collected by someone who wanted to cause me harm, what could they do with it?  Will I still want this information available to others long into the future?  Some considerations about protecting your privacy would include:

 

• Set social media profiles to “private” or “friends only” to control who can see your activity on that platform

• Do not include home addresses or personal phone numbers on the profiles of your online accounts.

• If you sign up for a personal domain, hide the registration information (WHOIS)

• If you encounter sensitive information about you on a webpage, send a request to the site owner to take it down

• Take steps to remove your personal data from public data broker sites; if you use a service to do so, carefully evaluate their privacy and security policies.

 

What to do if you experience Doxxing

• Document the abuse. Collect as much information as you can about the person or persons releasing the information. Take screen shots and save chat logs or emails.

• Request the site owner to take down the abusive content.

• Seek legal advice about what options are available to respond to the abuse.  This might include contacting law enforcement.

 

External Resources

Here are some resources from unaffiliated organizations with more in depth information and services about Doxxing.  Haverford College does not endorse specific solutions or services and these links are offered for information only.

Pen America: Online Harassment Field Manual

Electronic Frontier Foundation: Tips To Protect Yourself Online & How to Minimize Harm

Heimdal: What is Doxxing and How to Avoid It

DeleteMe: What To Do If You've Been Doxxed