One post is all it takes to become a target of doxxing. Learn how your online activity can be used against you and the steps you can take right now to safeguard your privacy.
The internet never forgets. With every post, comment, like, and share, you hand out information about yourself and your habits. Doxxing, short for “dropping documents,” is the act of leaking someone’s personal information with the intent to harass, humiliate, bully, or extort them. There’s no hard list of reasons someone has to doxx another. Rather, it is a concerted, malicious effort that could stem from opposing views, personal disputes, or simple opportunism. The distressing truth is that attackers don’t need a specific motivation to doxx someone.
Unfortunately, complete protection against doxxing is impractical. Even if you manage to remove all traces of your digital footprint, individuals with ill intent can still upload your information and place you or your loved ones at risk. But the situation isn’t entirely hopeless. I’m here to help you understand what doxxing is, and some simple steps you can take now to protect yourself in the future.What Does a Doxxing Attack Look Like?
Imagine this: A few days ago, a social media post of yours went viral. It could have been a divisive political comment, a meme, or maybe it was something as mundane as a pet photo with your front yard in the background. All of a sudden, your phone is blowing up with calls from strangers yelling obscenities or leaving harassing messages. Your employer, too, has had dozens of complaints filed against you from people you don’t know and have never interacted with.
Friends and family are trying to contact you over posts on their social media profiles about you. It continues to escalate. Erroneous food delivery orders get placed to your house. Piles of junk mail from various companies and organizations begin to clutter your mailbox. Your children’s school receives threats.
