What is Doxxing and what can you do if it happens to you?

Subject: Science and tech

Section: Awareness in IT

Context:

A woman in Mumbai reported harassment after a man shared a video of her dancing at an event on social media, likening her performance to sex work without her consent. Despite requests to remove the video, the man refused, and the video was widely shared, leading to further harassment.
The video was eventually taken down by the platform (X) on copyright grounds, but the man, a verified user, defended his actions.

What is Doxxing?

Doxxing involves publicly releasing someone’s private information without consent. This can include sensitive personal details like home addresses, phone numbers, and even medical records, often sourced through illicit means like hacking.
Doxxing is a direct attack on a person’s physical, digital, and emotional security.
Legal and Social Implications:
- Sharing private or semi-private content without consent can also be considered a form of doxxing, leading to legal and emotional distress for the victim.
- This can compel victims to alter their lives drastically, impacting their physical, digital, and emotional security.
Suggestions:
- keeping an incident log, reporting the abuse to all relevant platforms, changing passwords, and enabling two-factor authentication.
- Victims in India can report incidents through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal and file an FIR.
- Victims are advised to secure their Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and ensure account security before returning to social media.

Platform Policies and Tools:

Platforms like Meta, Google, X, and Reddit have mechanisms to address doxxing, with some providing specific tools for removing personal information and reporting abuse.
Legal Framework and Policy Changes:
- Recent updates, such as Discord’s new guidelines, separate doxxing from harassment to clarify policy enforcement.
- Under India’s IT Rules, platforms are obligated to act swiftly on cybercrime complaints.

Security practices to follow when posting on social media:

Use Strong Passwords: Create unique, strong passwords for each social media account and enable multi-factor authentication to enhance security.
Be Cautious with Photos: Avoid posting images that could reveal your location, such as those showing your neighbourhood, house facade, local landmarks, or places you frequently visit.
Workplace Privacy: Refrain from sharing photos of your workplace, ID badges, or other sensitive company information that could identify your exact location or role.
Limit Location Details: Be mindful of sharing videos or images, like apartment tours or vlogs, that could inadvertently disclose your daily routines or commuting paths.
Protect Conversations: Avoid posting screenshots of private text conversations to prevent accidentally exposing personal phone numbers or private information.
Consider Content Impact: Think carefully about the potential consequences of posting controversial or provocative content, as it could attract unwanted attention or go viral beyond your intended audience.
Avoid Sharing Others’ Information: Be cautious not to share media or information that could lead to doxxing others, as this could result in legal repercussions.

Source: TH