The act of digitally publicising a person’s private details is called doxxing, or doxing.
Doxxers generally publicise highly personal data such as other people’s home addresses, phone numbers, private email IDs, medical conditions, government documents, social security numbers, live locations, insurance information, private employment details, etc.
Such information is usually obtained through illegal methods such as hacking or theft.
However, publicising private or semi-public content that an individual did not intend to share for public consumption can also result in doxxing and harassment.
While the user who circulates an already public image or video may be legally in the clear, their intentions can be malicious and may endanger others
Doxxing does not end with bringing the perpetrator to justice.
These users often share details that easily allow others worldwide to launch their own attacks against the victim, making it harder for the police to take action against all those who are responsible.
Furthermore, doxxing is a direct attack on a person’s physical, digital, and emotional security.
A person who has been doxxed may have to flee their physical location, remain calm for the sake of young family members, clarify the situation with their employers, secure their leaked finances, file a report with the police, upgrade their internet security, be on the lookout for stalkers, and deal with a barrage of violent threats - all at once.
Doxxing can also expose the people who live or work near the victim, increasing the affected person’s chances of being evicted or fired.
People who have been doxxed are advised to keep an incident log containing evidence of what has taken place, including the relevant platforms and all those who were involved in the harassment.
This can later be shown to the law enforcement authorities.
People who have been doxxed in India can report what happened through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal online
One has a legal right to file an FIR.
This is where the incident log comes in useful.
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