Archives: Doxxing Posts

If you’ve ever experienced Avast interrupting your screen-sharing session with a popup that shows your IP address to everyone looking at your screen, you’d probably like to know how to stop Avast from doxxing you. Let’s dive in.

Why Is Avast Saying “Your IP Address Is Showing”? 

Avast is letting you know that your IP address is visible to the public, meaning that each time you go to a website, the web server relays the website’s content to your device using your IP address – and the admin of that web server could see what your IP address is. 

This doesn’t indicate that your security has been breached; it’s simply the way the internet is designed to work. However, it can be a security issue if you don’t want people following or monitoring you using your IP address.

The simplest way to circumvent this problem is to use a virtual private network (VPN), which acts as a masking portal that hides your IP address while still allowing you to access web content. Using a VPN will make your online activity invisible to everyone, even your internet service provider (ISP) – but it won’t hide you from the VPN themselves (so be sure to pick a reputable one with a strong privacy policy).

Avast offers its own VPN, which is one of the reasons it interrupts you to tell you that your IP address is exposed.

How to Stop Avast from Doxxing You

Fortunately, there are a few methods you can use to stop Avast from displaying your IP address to anyone who can see your screen and, in this way, doxxing you. 

One is to install Avast’s VPN, which will stop the popup from appearing. Note that you don’t have to use Avast’s VPN for this method to work (you just need to install it). 

The other method is to uninstall Avast altogether. It may seem extreme, but considering the alternative – being forced to install Avast’s VPN or risk exposing your IP address at inconvenient times – it may be the most practical option. If you choose this method, make sure to find a replacement antivirus software. 

Can An IP Address Put You At Risk of Doxxing? 

If someone gets ahold of your IP address, what can they do with it? More often than not, not much. 

While it’s true that IP addresses are trackable, it’s generally difficult to associate them with a particular individual due to the fact that IP addresses are dynamic (meaning they change constantly based on your ISP). Someone would need to know that you were assigned a particular IP address at a specific date and time to attach it to you.

That said, by looking up an IP address you’ve used, someone could determine your approximate geographic location, what ISP you’re using, and what websites you like to visit. If the person tracking you is a law enforcement officer or government official, your IP address details could be used as evidence or to help build a case against you.

If you are concerned about someone being able to pinpoint you using your IP address, then consider using a VPN for peace of mind. 

It’s Not Just Your IP Address You Need to Worry About 

Your IP address is just one piece of information someone can use to doxx you – and it’s not the primary one. 

Most doxxers are after personal details like your full name, home address, phone number, and email address. They can find this information through online sources like your social media profiles, forum posts, and data brokers.

Data brokers are companies that make their money by collecting information about individuals and compiling it into comprehensive profiles, which they then sell for a minimal fee. 

As long as doxxers know one piece of information about you (such as your username, full name, phone number, email address, or address), they can use data brokers to find more personal details about you. 

Luckily, you can opt out of data brokers. However, this can be time-consuming as you will need to opt out of each data broker with a profile on you – and then repeat the process when your profile is automatically reactivated when new information is uncovered. 

As an alternative, you can subscribe to a service like DeleteMe to handle the opt-out process for you. 

Becoming Undoxxable

The best way to prevent yourself from being doxxed is to shrink your online footprint as much as possible. You might not be able to completely eliminate the risk of doxxing, but you can come close.

To do so, you’ll need to start by doxxing yourself. It may seem counterintuitive – avoiding doxxing by doxxing – but it will give you the best idea of where your data shows up online and what you’ll need to do to remove it. Our guide on how to dox yourself will walk you through the process. We also have a doxxing guide specific to Instagram and a list of self-doxxing tools you can use. 

After you doxx yourself, you’ll likely need to take one or more of the following steps to improve your online privacy:

• Change social media privacy settings from public to private on all your accounts. 
• Use different usernames on all your online accounts to prevent people from tracking you from one platform to another.
• Opt out of data brokers or subscribe to a data broker removal service like DeleteMe.
• Remove your personal information from Google’s products, such as requesting the removal of Google Search results and hiding your property on Google Maps. 
• Use different passwords, two-factor authentication, and/or a password manager for optimal security.
• Be careful not to share personal information online. 

It may require a change in habits, but making yourself undoxxable (or as close to it as possible) is the best way to ensure bad actors won’t invade your privacy. 

Learn more in our guide on how to prevent doxxing. 

With doxxing encompassing a wide swath of personal information, it’s reasonable to ask: Is posting a license plate doxxing? After all, it could be considered a personally identifying piece of information, especially when accompanied by other details. 

In this guide, we’ll review whether or not posting a license plate is considered doxxing and what you can do to protect yourself from it. 

Is Posting a License Plate Doxxing?

Doxxing is defined as publishing someone else’s personal information online without their permission. So when someone publishes your license plate, have they doxxed you?

Posting a license plate on its own – with no other details – is generally not considered doxxing. This is because a license plate number does not inherently give away any information about the vehicle owner. 

It’s also generally quite difficult (but not impossible – see below) to link a license plate number to a person. 

Can You Look Up Someone Based On Their License Plate Through the DMV? 

There’s a widespread misconception that you can go to a DMV office with someone’s license plate number and ask them for personal information about the plate’s owner. 

However, this hasn’t been the case since 1994, when the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act was introduced.

What is the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act?

The Driver’s Privacy Protection Act is a federal law that governs the privacy and disclosure of personal data collected by state Departments of Motor Vehicles. 

As written, the law (18 U.S.C. § 2725) makes it illegal for the DMV to share personal information connected to a motor vehicle record without the owner’s express permission. 

In other words, if someone tries to find out your personal information by going to the DMV with a license plate number and asking for more details about the owner, their request will likely be denied.

That said, you can find out some information about the vehicle associated with a license plate number at the DMV (or their online portal), including its make and year. 

The Driver’s Privacy Protection Act took shape in part due to the murder of actress Rebecca Schaeffer in 1989 by an obsessed fan who was able to obtain her home address from the DMV. 

The incentive to pass the act mounted in 1992 when opponents of abortion began using license plate numbers to track down and harass abortion clinic patients and abortion providers. 

Exceptions and loopholes to the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act

There are some exceptions to the Driver’s Protection Act. 

Some DMVs around the country have started selling personal data to third parties to help fund their operations. This means that your data could be sold to insurance companies, private investigators, tow companies, and a host of other for-profit enterprises – for as little as $0.01 an entry.

Some of the data being sold by DMVs can be tied to individuals, although DMVs stress they don’t accompany it with social security numbers or photos. 

Can You Use Data Brokers to Find Someone Based On Their License Plate? 

Outside of the DMV, it is possible for someone to identify you using just your license plate number using specific data brokers and people search websites.

Data brokers are companies that collect and compile personal information into profiles and then sell those profiles to anyone willing to pay a minimal fee. Data within each profile could include home addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, family information, employment history, and so on.

Most data broker sites do not vet their customers to determine if they have malicious or exploitative intent, meaning someone wanting to dox, harass, and/or stalk you could be able to purchase your profile package. 

Fortunately, you can opt out of data brokers (see our opt-out guides for step-by-step instructions). Note that each data broker has its own opt-out process and that you’ll need to opt out on a continuous basis. This is because brokers relist your profile when new information about you is found on the internet. 

Alternatively, you can subscribe to a data broker removal service such as DeleteMe, which will regularly opt you out from data brokers and people search sites on your behalf. 

Becoming Undoxxable

Considering the negative repercussions that can come from being doxxed, it’s not unreasonable to set your sights on becoming undoxxable. It may sound like a lofty goal, but any step you take toward shrinking your online footprint is a step that minimizes the possibility that you’ll be doxxed. 

To become undoxxable, your first step should be to dox yourself. Follow our guide to doxxing yourself using these doxxing tools to see where your information is currently visible online.

Depending on what personal information you find about yourself on the web, you might need to do the following: 

• Change social media privacy settings from public to private (to hide your biography and limit your post audience).
• Use different usernames across social media platforms and accounts (to prevent doxxers from tracking you). 
• Use different passwords, implement two-factor authentication, and use a password manager for login protection.
• Opt out of data brokers.
• Set up Google Alerts to be pinged whenever your name or information appears online.

To find out more, see our guide on how to prevent doxxing.

Once you know about the dangers that can come from being doxxed, you might wonder: Can doxxing someone lead to jail time? 

While doxxing isn’t illegal everywhere, it does lead to jail time in some places, and it can certainly lead to other illegal activities. Read on as we review when (and where) doxxing is illegal, along with what other criminal behaviors are related to doxxing. 

Is Doxxing Illegal?

Doxxing, or the act of publishing someone else’s personal data online without their permission, is not illegal at the federal level in the United States. 

However, a growing number of states, including California and Illinois, have made doxxing illegal, meaning perpetrators could expect jail time there.

In addition, some states have situation-specific laws that make doxxing illegal. In Colorado, for example, doxxing an educator or healthcare worker is a crime, while in Oklahoma, doxxing a law enforcement officer is treated as a criminal act. 

Even if doxxing itself is not illegal where you live, there are other activities related to doxxing that could fit the bill for criminality, including harassment and stalking. If someone is doxxing you, chances are, they may also be committing associated crimes. 

Doxxing Jail Time

In states where doxxing is not illegal, jail time is generally not a factor (outside of the perpetrator committing other related crimes). 

In states that have criminalized doxxing, the penalty is usually a misdemeanor, meaning the jail time involved will usually vary between six months and a year. In most states where doxxing is illegal, perpetrators could also (or, in some cases, instead) be punished with a fine (typically between $1,000 to $3,000, depending on the state you live in). 

Take Texas, where doxxing is defined as sharing someone’s home address or phone number on a website that’s publicly accessible with the intent of causing harm. Doxxing someone in Texas can result in up to six months in jail and/or a fine of up to $2,000. If the victim sustains bodily injury as a result of the doxxing, then the penalty increases to up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine.

In Arizona, the penalty for distributing someone’s personal information with the intent to harass or cause them harm is up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $2,500.

California considers doxxing illegal if it is done to harass someone or if it leads to unwanted physical contact or injury. In those instances, the penalty is up to a year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.

On the other hand, Minnesota only considers doxxing to be illegal when the victim is a law enforcement officer or their family members and when it presents a serious risk to the officer or their family. The penalty for doxxing someone fitting this criterion in Minnesota is up to a year in jail and a $3,000 fine.

Doxxing-Related Activities Jail Time 

Even if the state you live in hasn’t made doxxing illegal, it likely has laws that criminalize behaviors related to doxxing. 

For example, one of the most commonly associated crimes is cyberstalking or repeatedly messaging and/or contacting someone online. It’s illegal in many states and can result in jail time (up to 12 months in Florida or 60 days in North Carolina).

Other doxxing-related activities that are typically punishable at the state level are harassment, stalking, and swatting (when someone calls law enforcement to your home under false pretenses to prompt an emergency response).

Some of these crimes can be illegal at the federal level as well. One New York man, for example, was given a two-year sentence on three federal charges related to doxxing. 

How Does Doxxing Happen? 

In most cases, doxxing happens when someone starts tracking your online movements across social media platforms, websites, and forums. 

As they do so, they collect information about you, including your full name, home address, phone number, and other personal data or contact details. They can then use that information to contact you, blackmail you, or harass you. 

Data brokers are a common source of information for doxxers. Data brokers are companies that collect and compile personal data into individual profiles and then sell these profiles to anyone willing to pay a small fee (in some cases, these profiles are free). 

Finding your profile is easy. All someone needs to do is go to a data broker website and type in your name/username, email address/home address/phone number. 

Fortunately, you can opt out of data brokers, but be aware that you will need to repeat the process whenever the data broker uncovers new information about you (as your profile will be reactivated). 

Alternatively, you can subscribe to a data broker removal service like DeleteMe. Our privacy experts will continuously opt you out of data broker databases on your behalf so you can spend your time elsewhere. 

Becoming Undoxxable

Ultimately, if your goal is not to be doxxed, then you’ll want to make yourself as undoxxable as possible. 

Begin by doxxing yourself (learn how in our guide to self-doxxing) using these tried and true doxxing tools. 

Once you’ve finished doxxing yourself, you’ll know exactly where your data vulnerabilities are, and you can start putting together a plan for removing or hiding your data in those places.

For most people, you’ll need to take one or more of the following steps:

• Changing the settings on your social media posts to make them private or visible to friends only.
• Hiding your social media biography details from the public.
• Opting out of data brokers (repeatedly) or hiring a service such as DeleteMe to handle the opt-out process for you.
• Using unique usernames for all of accounts, along with unique passwords (consider a password manager and/or two-factor authentication for optimal security).
• Setting up Google Alerts for your name to be notified when your data shows up online.

To find out more, read our in-depth guide on how to prevent doxxing.

One of the most notorious recent doxxing incidents is the Administrative Results doxx. This incident saw a well-known YouTuber’s personal information posted online without his permission. 

But what exactly happened, and what lessons can we learn from it? Let’s find out.

What Was the Administrative Results Doxx?

In 2023, a Twitter user doxxed Administrative Results, a popular “guntuber” who frequently posts pro-gun content on YouTube. 

The user shared Administrative Result’s real full name, as well as the name of his wife, her photo, and place of work. 

Once this information was published, most internet users condemned the doxxing incident, in part because of how the doxxer had also targeted the guntuber’s family members. 

5 Lessons from Administrative Results Doxx

While doxxing is invariably bad, there are lessons to be learned from every incident.

Here’s what we can learn from the Administrative Results doxx specifically.

1. Be careful about what you say online 

Administrative Results was doxxed because he has a popular YouTube channel on which he makes controversial jokes. 

Anytime you say or do something online, you’re risking a backlash as users with opposite opinions to yours may take offense – and then go on the offensive. 

Being on YouTube with a popular channel puts Administrative Results and other creators in the crosshairs of doxxers. However, that doesn’t mean those who don’t have popular channels or aren’t on YouTube aren’t at risk. 

When it comes down to it, doxxing is becoming a regular practice for people who want to get back at or punish someone they disagree with or don’t like. Simply getting into an argument with an online troll – or backing someone else in a debate on an X thread – could open you up to being a doxxing target.

2. There’s more public information about you than you might realize 

Many people don’t realize how much of their personal information is on the internet. 

In the case of Administrative Results, he had an LLC under the same name as his channel, and the LLC’s registration included his personal information, making it easy to dox him. 

But you don’t have to make the same mistake to be doxxable. Everything from your username to your social media posts to forum comments can provide a trail for bad actors to follow, allowing them to piece together a picture of your life as they do so. 

For example, someone could search for your username on different social media platforms to see if you use the same one in multiple places. 

If your real name is attached to your username or if you’ve linked your social media accounts to your professional accounts, the trail becomes incredibly easy to follow. From there, doxxers can find out who your family members are, who your friends are, and so on. 

One of the first places doxxers look for information is data brokers. 

Data brokers are companies that collect data from a wide variety of sources (including social media and public records), compile it into profiles that can be found by searching for your name, username, or email address, and sell these profiles for a minimal fee. 

You can (and should) opt out of data brokers, but be aware that you will need to opt out of each broker that has a profile on you (check out our opt-out guides for step-by-step instructions). 

You’ll need to repeat the opt-out process in the future, as data brokers routinely reactivate old profiles when they come across new data.

Alternatively, you can subscribe to a service like DeleteMe, which can handle the opt-out process for you. 

3. You might not even know you’ve been doxxed

Although the Administrative Results 2023 doxxing incident made some waves, it wasn’t even the first time he’d been doxxed, as other internet users were quick to point out. 

It’s far from uncommon for internet users to be unaware that their personal information is publicly visible somewhere online, whether due to someone having doxxed them or public records showing far too much info. 

To make sure that your information isn’t exposed without your knowledge, you should start doxxing yourself. 

It may sound odd, but if you’re doxxing yourself (and subsequently sealing up the holes you find by removing your data), it means that someone else will have a harder time doing so in the future. Read our guide on how to dox yourself to get started, and check out our list of self-doxxing tools.

A simple step to take as you embark on the journey of online privacy is to set up a Google Alert with your full name or other identifying information (the guide linked above goes through how to do so). 

With Google Alerts set up, anytime a Google Search result includes your information, you’ll get an email notifying you about it. 

4. Your family is at risk, too

Unsettlingly, doxxers often target their victim’s family members, too, as was the case in the Administrative Results dox. Administrative Results’ wife’s full name, photo, and place of work were all revealed. 

By doxxing yourself and actively working to shrink your online footprint, you’ll be protecting your family members as well as yourself. 

5. You can report doxxers

It’s important to remember that social media platforms (and Google) have methods of reporting doxxing to have the content removed. 

In the case of Administrative Results, the Twitter account that reported the doxxing and the original post were reported by Twitter users, leading both of them to be removed from the platform. 

Each platform has its own policies and methods for reporting doxxing. If you’re a regular user of a particular platform (X/Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, etc.), familiarize yourself with the steps involved so you can handle doxxing incidents quickly. 

Depending on where you live, doxxing may be illegal. 

While doxxing is not considered a crime at the federal level in the US, some states have made the act of publishing someone else’s personal information without their permission illegal (including California and Illinois), and a growing number of states are considering it. 

In states where doxxing is not illegal, other dangerous activities and behaviors that stem from it might be, including harassment, stalking, cyberstalking, swatting, and extortion.  

Becoming Undoxxable

Even with possible legal protection and the ability to report doxxing incidents to online platforms, the best defense against being doxxed is to reduce how much information exists about you online. 

To get closer to becoming undoxxable, you’ll want to dox yourself. By doxxing yourself, you’ll figure out where your data vulnerabilities are and what steps you’ll need to take to remove your personal information from public view. 

Most people find that they’ll need to:

• Opt out of data brokers repeatedly (unless you subscribe to a data broker removal service like DeleteMe, in which case our privacy experts will continuously delete you from these sites on your behalf). 
• Change social media privacy settings so that posts aren’t viewable to everyone.  
• Unlink social media accounts and use different usernames across all online accounts. 
• Request data removal from Google products. 
• Stop sharing personal information online. 

Just because doxxing exists doesn’t mean we have to stop using the internet – but the increasing rise in doxxing incidents does emphasize the need to be cautious about our online privacy. 

Learn more in our guide on how to prevent doxxing. 

Few people are aware of the dangers of doxxing. But more need to know that having your personal information shared on the internet can be a gateway to malicious behavior and even serious crimes, as we’ll see in this guide. 

What Is Doxxing

Doxxing occurs when someone else publishes your personal information online without your permission. It may be intentional or accidental – either way, it’s considered doxxing. 

Unfortunately, doxxing incidents are on an upward trajectory. Anyone can become a victim of doxxing for any reason – including criticizing a celebrity or posting something someone doesn’t like on social media or an online forum. 

Dangers of Doxxing

Having your personal information exposed without your consent can lead to the following malicious behaviors: 

Harassment

Once someone knows who you are and has your contact information, they can harass you. Harassment refers to any unwanted behavior, verbal or physical, that makes you feel uncomfortable, distressed, or humiliated. 

Harassment can happen through various channels, including online messaging apps, social media platforms, phone calls and text messages, or mail. Perpetrators can sometimes target family members as well. 

Cyberstalking

When someone uses your doxxed information to contact you or harass you repeatedly, it’s considered cyberstalking – and it can be incredibly scary, as this Reddit post indicates. 

Stalking

Sometimes doxxing victims are stalked not only online but in real life, too. If someone doxxes your home address or place of work, it’s possible that a bad actor could show up in person to see you or follow your movements. 

As with cyberstalking and harassment, it’s not just you who might be stalked – your family is at risk, as well. 

Impersonation

While identity theft can result in serious financial trouble, impersonation brings its own level of distress with it. 

Once someone has your personal information, they can set up fake accounts in your name and use them to mislead or steal from your friends and family, post hateful comments, or send threats to other users.

Reputational harm

Sometimes, the personal information that’s doxxed – such as a message sent in confidence – can lead to significant reputational harm if shared with the public. If you’ve ever said or done something that might be perceived as controversial, having it get out in the open could harm your reputation or even get you fired. 

In some cases, doxxers might not even wait to confirm it was you who said or did something controversial. 

Take the case of Nintendo staffer Alison Rapp, who, despite having nothing to do with a particular change in Nintendo’s games, was held accountable for the change by GamerGate. 

The passionate but misled users of GamerGate proceeded to harass Rapp and dig up any information they could on her. It was enough for Nintendo to fire her, ostensibly because the doxxing revealed she had a second job (which Rapp contended was not against company policy).  

There are also instances of mistaken identity, which is what happened to finance executive Peter Weinberg. 

Weinberg was contacted late at night by multiple internet users who were accusing him of ramming adults with his bike, hitting children, and being racist – despite it not being him in the viral video. 

The mistaken but irate internet users doxxed Weinberg to find him, using an online app that publicly shared bike routes. Since Weinberg sometimes cycled the route and looked vaguely like the perpetrator, he was (wrongly) held accountable. 

Looking elsewhere online, you’ll find this is not as rare as you might think.

Swatting 

Another criminal behavior that can arise from doxxing is swatting, which occurs when someone calls law enforcement to trigger an emergency response (such as from the SWAT team, hence the name) to your address. 

Usually, the goal of swatting is to inconvenience and scare victims, but it can also lead to injuries and even death. 

Vandalism 

If a bad actor knows where you live or work due to a doxxing attack, they can potentially vandalize your property, including your home or your car. 

Identity theft

Since doxxed information can include a great deal of personal details, it’s possible that someone who comes across your doxxed data online could use it to steal your identity. 

There are many real-world examples demonstrating how unsettlingly easy this is.

In one instance, an identity thief targeted Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. After determining what bank he used, the thief called the bank and, pretending to be Allen, changed both the address and the phone number associated with the account – and then requested a debit card sent to the new address. 

In another example, one man opened several bank accounts under other peoples’ names. He used them and the additional identity information he had to apply for and collect almost $200,000 in loans. 

Anxiety and psychological distress

On top of the obvious criminal activities associated with doxxing – none of which are enjoyable to experience – having your personal information leaked for everyone online to see can lead to anxiety and stress. 

How Does Doxxing Happen? 

It’s important to remember that doxxing utilizes publicly available information. When a bad actor wants to, they can compile this information using various techniques, such as browsing your social media profiles or looking through your old forum posts.

One of the first resources doxxers use when looking for information is data broker websites. 

Data brokers collect information on individuals from sources like social media platforms and public records and then sell them to more or less anyone, no questions asked. 

Fortunately, you can opt out of data brokers. Doing so will require contacting each one, and each data broker will have its own opt-out process (check out our list of opt-out guides for step-by-step instructions for common data brokers). Alternatively, subscribe to a data broker removal service such as DeleteMe. 

Becoming Undoxxable

To reduce your risk of being doxxed, focus on shrinking your online footprint. 

While that may sound a bit broad, you can approach it in a methodical fashion. For an idea of how to get started, you can begin by doxxing yourself – doing so will inform you where your data vulnerabilities are. Find out how in our guide to self-doxxing using this list of doxxing tools. 

Most people find that they need to do a combination of the following steps to reduce their personal data exposure online: 

• Changing their social media privacy settings from public to private.
• Opting out of data brokers. 
• Using unique usernames and passwords across all online accounts. 
• Removing data from Google Search results and other Google products. 
• Being vigilant and cautious about sharing any personal information on the internet. 

Doxxing can be uncomfortable, frightening, and dangerous, but by taking steps to protect yourself, you can decrease the possibility that someone will dox you. 

Learn more in our guide on how to prevent doxxing.

Whether you’re anti-GamerGate or in support of it – or if you know nothing about it – it led to some of the most famous doxxing incidents in popular culture.

In this guide, we’ll review what happened and share a few tips on how you can avoid being a victim of doxxing yourself. 

What Is GamerGate?

GamerGate was a campaign started in 2014 by a group of mostly anonymous gamers who wanted to lobby the gaming news industry to have better ethical standards. 

They alleged that the industry was rife with censorship and that game developers routinely made agreements with news outlets for more favorable coverage. They also believed that the industry tended to carry a message of social justice and feminism that had no objective place in gaming coverage. 

With this loose framework of ideals, GamerGate participants reached out to news media outlets to appeal to them to be more transparent, exclude social justice components as a qualifier for a good game, and generally de-politicize the industry. 

GamerGate led to both harassment and doxxing for several people, with a focus on women who criticized the gaming industry. The victims received sexually violent messages and threats in their inboxes and on Twitter, while the companies they worked for were pressured with boycotts. 

What Is Anti-GamerGate?

Due to the extreme methods utilized by GamerGate advocates, a reactionary movement arose in response: Anti-GamerGate. 

Those involved in the backlash against GamerGate viewed GamerGate as an attempt by anti-feminists to drive women out of the industry using baseless claims of ethics violations. They also were unhappy about GamerGate’s effort to reduce the presence of non-stereotypical or female game characters in games. 

Anti-GamerGate focused on the harassing and often violent tone GamerGate users utilized as emblematic of the problem the group represented.

Anti-GamerGate Doxxing 

Both individuals involved in GamerGate and those against it experienced doxxing. Most of the victims, however, were those on the Anti-GamerGate side of the debate.

Among the first targeted by GamerGate was Zoe Quinn, the designer of a game believed to have started the movement due to its focus on addressing depression. The game itself may have gone unnoticed if not for Quinn’s ex-boyfriend, who wrote about her in unsavory terms on the game’s Steam page. Quinn was soon doxxed, with bad actors even hacking into her voicemail and her Wikipedia page to announce she was dead. 

Felicia Day, the head writer of the TV series The Guild, was another famous target of GamerGate. Within minutes of posting her concerns about the movement, someone posted her home address and email on her account – exactly as she feared. 

Also among the victims of GamerGate was Feminist Frequency (a YouTube series) producer Anita Sarkeesian. She received violent threats of rape and murder on Twitter, in conjunction with her home address, after speaking out against the group. The effect of the doxxing was enough that she and her family were forced to leave their homes. 

Game developer Brianna Wu was similarly doxxed when her home address was published on 8Chan. The threats she received were violent and harassing enough that she also had to flee her home. 

GamerGate Doxxing 

GamerGaters weren’t immune from being doxxed for their involvement in the movement (including Brianna Wu’s attacker), although the media did not give as much coverage to these incidents. 

This was best illustrated by the Medium user Best Mom Eva. A regular visitor to 4Chan and 8Chan, she noted that anytime she defended GamerGaters for their non-harassing activities, she was attacked by Anti-GamerGaters, who accused her of not being a woman, among other claims. 

Best Mom Eva created a fake scenario that resulted in Anti-GamerGaters trying to doxx her, demonstrating that there were bad actors on both sides.

How Does Doxxing Happen? 

Doxxing usually involves someone tracking you online and piecing together bits of information you’ve shared, such as on forums or social media. Public records and data brokers can also be a primary source of doxxing content. 

Data brokers are companies that collect personal information about people and sell it as packaged profiles to anyone – including bad actors – willing to pay a small fee. 

You can opt out of data brokers (learn how in our data broker opt-out guides), but be aware that you’ll need to opt out of each one – and there are hundreds of them. Plus, you’ll need to do so continuously as brokers relist your profile as soon as they find more data about you. 

Alternatively, subscribe to a data broker removal service such as DeleteMe – our privacy experts will opt you out of these sites on your behalf. 

Becoming Undoxxable

To avoid doxxing, your best bet is to actively work to shrink your online footprint by assessing where your information is showing up online and taking steps to remove it or make it private. 

You can get started by doxxing yourself (find out how in our guide to self-doxxing and use our list of self-doxxing tools).

Once you’ve doxxed yourself, you’ll likely find that you’ll need to take several steps toward becoming undoxxable – generally including some of the following actions:

• Changing your social media privacy settings from public to private.
• Changing and using different usernames and passwords on all of your online accounts.
• Opting out of data brokers.
• Avoiding sharing any personal information in public spaces on the internet. 
• Setting up Google Alerts for your personal information to be alerted when your data appears online. 

For an in-depth look at how to become undoxxable, read our guide on how to prevent doxxing. 

When I first heard the terms doxxing and DDoS, I thought they sounded so similar that they might be confusing for a lot of people. 

However, while both doxxing and DDoS relate to online attacks, they are very different in terms of how they are carried out. 

This guide explains what it means to be doxxed compared to what it means to experience a DDoS attack, along with tips on how to avoid both.

What’s the Difference Between Doxxing and DDoS?

It’s not uncommon for people to confuse doxxing and DDoS, but they really mean totally different things. 

What is doxxing? 

Doxxing refers to the act of publishing someone else’s personal information online without their consent.

Though doxxing is believed to have started in the hacking community, it has since become more common (read our guide to learn how doxxing works). Today, doxxing can happen to average internet users for a variety of reasons, including disagreeing with someone on an online forum.

While doxxing can be relatively harmless, it can also lead to other dangerous behaviors, including cyberstalking, harassment, stalking, identity theft, and swatting. 

What is DDoS?

A DoS attack stands for a denial-of-service attack where a bad actor floods a targeted resource with traffic, overloading it and either slowing it down or booting it offline. 

A DDoS attack is a distributed denial-of-service attack that uses multiple machines to flood a resource. While DDoS attacks against websites and online services are on the rise, it is rare, though not impossible, for an individual to be DDoSed. For that to happen, the attacker would need to know your IP address. 

One potential sign that could indicate you’ve been hit with a DDoS attack is if your internet looks like it’s connected, but you’re getting a very slow service (with some websites not loading at all). Restart your modem, and if doing this fixes the problem and your connection returns to normal, you may have been targeted with a DDoS attack. 

How to Prevent Doxxing and DDoS

Here’s how you can prevent doxxing and DDoS from happening to you. 

Doxxing

Since doxxing typically involves bad actors gathering your personal information from public sources online, you’ll want to remove as much of your information from the internet as possible. 

For most people, taking the following steps can reduce the risk of doxxing:

• Changing your social media profile settings from public to private. You should also make your profile biographies private and hide any familial connections from the public.
• Removing yourself from data broker websites. Data brokers are websites that make money by gathering data about people from various sources (public records, social media, etc.), compiling this data into profiles, and then selling these profiles to pretty much anyone who wants them. The good news is you can opt out of data brokers. The slightly bad news is that the opt-out process differs from one broker to the next. You’ll also need to repeat the opt-out process regularly, as brokers tend to refresh their databases when they find more information about you. Alternatively, consider subscribing to a service such as DeleteMe to handle the opt-out process for you.
• Use unique usernames across social media platforms, apps, and forums. This will make it harder for bad actors to track you across the web. 
• Use unique passwords on all of your accounts. You might want to consider a password manager for optimal security. 
• Don’t overshare personal information in public spaces or with people you don’t know that well. You never know who might misuse it. 
• Request the removal of personal information from other websites. This includes any third-party sites where your information appears and Google Search results (though note that removing information from Google will only remove the search result and not the information from the originating website itself). 

If you’re unsure where to start, you should dox yourself (follow our guide on how to do so with this list of doxxing tools). That will give you an idea of where your data appears online and what steps you’ll need to take to hide it. 

DDoS

To prevent DDoS attacks, the most important factor is keeping your IP address hidden.

Your IP address can be exposed in a few different ways. For gamers, if you stick to central or official game servers, you generally don’t need to worry about your IP address being visible. If you play on private servers or if you’re connected directly with another player, the server admins may be able to see your IP address. Make sure you trust whomever you’re connecting to, and never give your IP address directly to someone else. 

If someone sends an external link in chat or a direct message, don’t click on it. Any external link can mask malware or expose your IP address to admins as soon as you click on it.

As a matter of precaution, consider resetting your IP address regularly. To do so, simply unplug your router and wait at least 10 minutes before plugging it back in. 

You can also upgrade your hardware itself. If you purchased your router more than four years ago, replace it with a newer model (which will have built-in DDoS protection). If you’re leasing your equipment from an ISP, you should have a modern model already.

Using a virtual private network (VPN) will enable you to hide your IP address regardless of the activity you’re engaging in. The downside to a VPN is that it can cause higher ping and lag as it requires your signal to be bounced an additional time. 

There are gamer-focused VPNs out there that are designed to minimize latency while also providing a secure connection. If it’s a route you’re considering, be sure to do your research, as not all VPNs are created equal, and some can put you at more risk.

Lastly, keep your security software up to date if you’re using a PC, including your antivirus and firewall programs. For your firewall, don’t allow apps you aren’t immediately using to break through it (unless they are a known and trusted service). 

Stay Safe – Keep Your Personal Info Private

Whether it’s your home address or IP address, keeping your personal information private can help you avoid both doxxing and DDoS attacks. 

Take steps to shrink your online footprint and prevent bad actors from getting ahold of your contact details to keep yourself safe from doxxing. Protect your IP address to reduce the risk of DDoS attacks and ensure your internet connection remains undisturbed.

Remember: The less data you share, the more secure you’ll be. 

If you’ve noticed your personal information appearing on Google Search, you might be wondering: Is it true that Google doesn’t help doxxing victims? 

In this guide, we’ll look at what kind of assistance Google offers to people who have had their personal information exposed without their consent, and share tips on how to prevent your information from getting out there in the first place.

Is It True That Google Doesn’t Help Doxxing Victims?

No, it’s not true. Google has policies and procedures in place to assist victims of doxxing, depending on the service used. 

While Google can’t remove personal information from third-party websites, it can stop results from showing up on Google Search or hide images of your house or vehicle on Google Maps. 

Removing Doxxing Content From Google Search 

If your personal information is showing up in Google Search results, you can request the removal of those results if it fits the following categories:

• Your personal contact information (such as home address, phone number, email address, etc.).
• Government ID numbers (such as your Social Security number or driver’s license number) or pictures of your government ID.
• Bank account or credit card numbers.
• Pictures of your signature.
• Medical records or other personal records of that nature.
• Login details (such as username and password information).

How to remove doxxing content from Google Search

If your personally identifying information is appearing on Google Search, here’s how to request the removal of the result from the search engine:

1. Click the three dots

Click on the three dots on the right side of the search result. 

2. Click “Remove result”

From the popup menu that appears, click “Remove result.”

3. Choose a reason why you want to remove the result

You’ll be given a choice of why you’d like the result removed. 

In most doxxing cases, choosing “It shows my personal contact info” will be appropriate, but if someone’s using your personal information to harm you, you should select that option instead.

Note: As an alternative, you can fill out Google’s support form, but know that you’ll need to have the URL for the website where your personal information appears, as well as the URL that produced the search results showing your personal contact information.

For more information, read our guide on how to remove doxxing content from Google.

A word of caution

While there is a clear path to removing your personal contact information from Google Search, remember that it will only be removed from Google’s search engine. 

This means that anyone with a direct link to the website with your information will still be able to see it. Other search engines, such as Microsoft’s Bing, will still be able to find it.

To have your doxxing content removed completely from the site with the information, you’ll need to reach out to the site owner and request that it be deleted. Depending on the website where it’s showing up, you may or may not get a response from the site owner or moderators. 

Additionally, keep in mind that even if the site owner agrees to remove your personal information, someone may have screenshotted it before it was taken down. It’s important to have the content removed as fast as possible to limit this from happening. 

How to Find Doxxing Content on Google Search

So how do you find out if you’ve been doxxed and your information is showing up online? There are a few different methods you can use. 

1. The first method is simple – Google yourself. Search for your personal information using your full name and area of residence, and see what comes up. Do this periodically to keep up with any new results that may pop up. 
2. The second method, setting up a Google Alert, demands some initial setup, but it won’t require you to check Google constantly on your own. To set it up, go to Google Alerts (logging in as needed) and enter your name. Once you’ve done so, you’ll receive an email anytime your name pops up in a search result.  

Don’t Forget Data Brokers

Data brokers and people search sites collect personal information about people from sources like social media and public records and then sell this data to anyone willing to pay a minimal fee.

If someone knows your name, username, email, or phone number, they can find you on a data broker website and purchase a profile with additional details. 

Here’s an example of a data broker profile: 

Data brokers typically show up on the first page of Google, so you may have already run into them while looking for search results containing your personal information. Because they appear so high in search results, they’re a great source for doxxers with harmful intent to find out more about you. 

Fortunately, you can opt out of data brokers. You will need to opt out of each one individually, and they all have their own process of opting out. 

You will need to repeat the opt-out process periodically, as data brokers notoriously start new profiles on individuals once new information appears on the internet, regardless of prior opt-outs. 

As an alternative, you can subscribe to a data removal service like DeleteMe. Our privacy experts will remove you from these databases continuously on your behalf. 

How to Remove Doxxing Content From Google Maps

If your home, face, or other identifying information appears on Google Maps, you can ask Google to blur it. Here’s how:

1. Find the photo that’s doxxing you

Go to Google Maps and find the photo that’s doxxing you. 

2. Click “Report a problem”

In the bottom right of the screen, click “Report a problem.”

3. Complete the form

You’ll be redirected to a form. Here, you’ll need to choose an option for what you want to blur (a face, home, car/license plate, or a different object), share your email address, and complete a reCAPTCHA. 

4. Click “Submit”

Click “Submit.” Google will review your request, potentially contacting you for more information or updating you on your report’s status. 

Become Undoxxable 

The less information there is about you on the internet, the less likely you are to be doxxed. 

By removing your personal data from Google Search, Google Maps, and other places online, you’ll make it harder for bad actors to use it against you. 

To learn more, read our guide on how to prevent doxxing. 

Not everyone who wants to know how to doxx someone on Instagram has malicious intent – especially if you’re just looking to doxx yourself. 

In this guide, we’ll show you how to thoroughly doxx yourself on Instagram before a bad actor does. 

How to Doxx Someone On Instagram (And Why That “Someone” Should Be Yourself) 

Doxxing, or the act of publishing someone’s personal information on the internet without their permission, is becoming increasingly common. Taking preventative measures is essential to ensure it doesn’t happen to you. 

Social media accounts are a significant source of doxxing material, as people don’t always realize how much they are sharing. 

If you’re an Instagram user, there are many ways that people could find out sensitive information about you. 

Are you at risk of being doxxed on Instagram? Take these steps to doxx yourself and find out.

See if your IG username appears elsewhere

First, let’s start with your username. 

If you use your full name as your Instagram username, then you’ve unfortunately doxxed yourself already (consider changing it immediately).  

But even if you use an anonymous username, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re safe.

Why not? The risk comes mostly from reusing usernames. If you use the same username on Instagram, Twitter, and Reddit, for example, someone can easily follow you between platforms and find as much data on you as possible. 

To avoid this, always use different usernames across different platforms.

Use data brokers 

Data brokers are websites that collect public information about individuals into profiles and sell them to interested buyers. 

Some data brokers have a “username lookup” feature where you can enter your Instagram username and see additional information about the person behind it, including full name, home address, phone number, family members, education, and work history. 

You can opt out of data brokers, but you’ll need to contact each one to do so. Use our free opt-out guide for easy step-by-step instructions on how to remove your personal information from some of the most popular data brokers. 

Opting out of data brokers is not a one-time deal, however. Your profile on each website will be relisted when new information is identified and added. As a result, be prepared to opt out repeatedly. 

Alternatively, subscribe to a data broker removal service such as DeleteMe to have privacy experts handle the opt-out process for you. 

See if you’ve reused your Instagram profile picture

Outside of your username, your Instagram profile picture is another potential clue for doxxers. 

To see if your Instagram profile picture is making you vulnerable, do a reverse image search on it or any other picture on your Instagram. That way, you can see if you posted them elsewhere (such as on your Facebook page). 

If you did share the same picture in two (or more) places, that means someone can follow you between platforms and learn a lot more about you. 

The easiest way to do a reverse image search is to do the following:

1. Go to Google Image Search: https://images.google.com/ 
2. Click on the camera icon. 

3. Upload the Instagram picture you want to check by clicking “upload a file” or paste the image link. 

4. You should now see all the results that Google thinks are matches. 

Scrutinize your posts 

Your everyday Instagram posts may be another source of personal information. While that may seem obvious, consider how much you’re revealing and who can see it. 

If your posts are set to public and you’re sharing personal details such as information about your family members, pet names, where you like to have coffee, who you hang out with, and so on, you’re presenting a ton of data to bad actors. 

If your post audience is public, assess your posts thoroughly for personally identifying details. Consider editing or deleting your posts or changing your account to private. 

See who’s a friend/follower 

Another source of clues to your real identity is your followers list. 

Someone can look through the list and find commonalities among your followers, like where you live, go to school, or work. 

If you have family members or close friends following you, they may be unwittingly sharing personal information about you on their profiles.

One Redditor was doxxed on Instagram after someone went to their friend’s Instagram and found their high school name and location. 

As a hypothetical example, a doxxer could find your follower’s username on Facebook (if they use the same username on IG) and then find your comments there, too – thus giving them another source of data.

The only way to avoid this is to make your Instagram account private and hide your followers list. 

Click on a phishing link

Well, don’t actually do so. But be aware that phishing scams are among the most common ways that doxxers can get your personal information. 

The best way to avoid falling victim to a phishing scam is to not click on suspicious links, especially from people you don’t know. 

Become Undoxxable 

Ultimately, your best protection against being doxxed is to become undoxxable – or as undoxxable as possible. 

By taking these steps to doxx yourself on Instagram, you’re on your way to uncovering where your personal data is showing up online and removing it. 

To be thorough, you should dox yourself on other platforms, too – follow our guide on how to doxx yourself for more tips on how to do so (you can also use our list of self-doxxing tools). 

If you’ve been a victim of doxxing on YouTube, you’ll need to know how to report it to have the content removed as quickly as possible. 

In this guide, we’ll review YouTube’s doxxing policy and go through the reporting process step-by-step.

YouTube’s Doxxing Policy 

YouTube prohibits the act of doxxing or publishing someone else’s personal information on the platform without their permission.

Doxxing content that targets minors is treated particularly strictly on the platform. 

How does YouTube define doxxing? 

In the section “Other types of content that violate this policy,” YouTube goes into more detail about doxxing and how it defines it. 

According to YouTube, content that threatens to share, encourages others to share, or shares non-public personally identifiable information is considered doxxing and is prohibited. 

What information is prohibited? 

YouTube prohibits the sharing of the following personally identifiable information (PII): 

• Home address.
• Phone number.
• Passport number.
• Email address.
• Sign-in credentials.
• Medical records.
• Bank account information. 

However, YouTube notes that this list is not exhaustive. 

The policy also applies to external links included in video descriptions or comments.

Other activities prohibited by YouTube 

Swatting, or the act of calling law enforcement with a false lead to prompt an emergency response on an unsuspecting victim, is also prohibited on YouTube. 

Stalking and blackmail are also explicitly prohibited by the platform.

Activities YouTube does not prohibit

Some sharing activities are okay – such as posting a business’s phone number. Anytime you republish widely available information, it’s not considered doxxing.

How to Report Doxxing on YouTube

Follow the below steps to report doxxing on YouTube. 

1. Start the Privacy Complaint Process on YouTube

Go to the Privacy Complaint Process page (https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/142443) on YouTube to get started.

Click “Continue.”

2. Click “I still want to submit a privacy complaint”

On the next screen, you’ll be asked if you’ve experienced harassment on the platform. If you believe you have, click “I would like to learn more about harassment.”

If it’s not a matter of harassment but rather exposed information, click on “I still want to submit a privacy complaint.”

3. Click “Continue”

If the doxxing occurred in a video, YouTube will ask you to contact the uploader directly on the next screen. In some cases, the uploader isn’t aware that the information is exposing you, and they may be willing to remove it themselves. 

If the uploader is unwilling to remove the doxxing content, or if the doxxing didn’t happen in a video, click “Continue.”

4. Confirm the Community Guidelines

Next, you’ll be questioned if the video violates YouTube’s Community Guidelines, in which case you’re asked to flag the video. 

Click “I have reviewed the Community Guidelines” to advance to the next screen.

5. Confirm your complaint’s legitimacy

On the next screen, you’ll be made aware that if your complaint has no grounds, you could face consequences for making a false complaint. 

Click “Continue” to proceed.

Step 6. Define your complaint

The following screen will ask you what type of personal information was revealed. 

You can choose between “Your image or full name” or “Other personal info,” including your email address, home address, or other PII. 

Regardless of which option you choose, you’ll be taken to a form where you can detail what was exposed, along with the URL of the offending video.

Who Can File a Privacy Complaint with YouTube?

If it’s you who has been a victim of a privacy violation on YouTube, then you’re the one who will need to file the complaint – in other words, you can’t file a privacy complaint with YouTube on someone else’s behalf. 

However, there are a few exceptions to this rule, such as if the victim doesn’t have access to a computer, is a vulnerable individual, is under your legal care (if you are their parent, guardian, or legal representative), or if they are deceased (and you are their family member).

Best Practices for Filing a Privacy Complaint with YouTube

In its privacy guidelines, YouTube provides tips on filing a privacy complaint.

According to the platform, you should keep the following in mind when filing a complaint:

• Be “clear and concise” in your report – stick to the facts as much as possible to make it easier for YouTube’s team to confirm how your privacy was violated.
• Most of YouTube’s efforts will be in identifying you, so specify what you are wearing and doing each time you (or your information) appear in the video.
• Include timestamps for each privacy violation in your report. 
• Don’t forget to include the video URL (unless you’re reporting an entire channel).
• If you’re reporting a comment, include the commenter’s name in the username field. 

How YouTube Determines If Content Should Be Removed For Doxxing 

For YouTube to remove content on the grounds of doxxing, the content must uniquely identify you, whether by a combination of your image, full name, contact information (such as email address), or other uniquely identifiable information. 

There is some gray area when it comes to publishing some information, and YouTube’s team will take some factors into account, including how publicly available or newsworthy the information is. 

What Content Is “Uniquely Identifiable” According to YouTube

With that said, what exactly is “uniquely identifiable” content that would be sufficient for others to identify you? 

According to YouTube, the content has to have enough personal information for others to recognize you.

Being able to recognize yourself in a video when others aren’t able to is not considered doxxing and most likely won’t result in the content being removed by YouTube. For example, a first name on its own would probably not qualify as uniquely identifiable. 

What Happens After You Submit a Doxxing Complaint to YouTube?

So you’ve made your complaint – now what? 

YouTube will issue a notification to the video’s uploader advising them that their content contains doxxing materials, and they will have 48 hours to either edit or remove it. 

If the uploader fails to do so, the YouTube team will review the complaint again, taking further action as needed.

How Did Someone Doxx Me? 

Even though YouTube and most other platforms (including X/Twitter) have a mechanism for reporting doxxing, it’s much better to avoid being doxxed in the first place. With that in mind, you may be wondering how someone was able to dox you at all.

Many people don’t realize how much of their personal information is available on the internet – most of which they’ve shared themselves. 

If you’re a social media user, your profile may have a wealth of information viewable to the public, while if you regularly comment on forums, you may be sharing more data than you realize. 

Even if you simply have shopping accounts or a personal website, you may be leaving doors open for bad actors to find clues and follow your online trail. 

Not all information on the internet about you was put there by you, though. Some websites, called data brokers, operate by collecting data from public records, social media accounts, and other sources and compiling them into profiles that are accessible to anyone, either for free or a small fee. 

All a bad actor has to do is go to a data broker website, search for your name (or username, home address, or email address), and see what comes up. 

Thankfully, it’s possible to opt out of data brokers, but be aware that each data broker has its own method for doing so (learn how to opt out of data brokers in our DIY opt-out guides). 

You will also need to repeat the opt-out process whenever data brokers find out more information about you (as they will relist your profile). 

To avoid having to deal with opting out of data brokers, consider subscribing to a data broker removal service such as DeleteMe to handle the data removal process for you. 

Become Undoxxable 

While there are many ways for bad actors to get ahold of your personal data on the internet, you can take steps to reduce your risk of getting doxxed. 

To do so, start by doxxing yourself (find out how in this guide), which will give you the best idea of where your data is showing up and what you’ll need to do next. We’ve also compiled a list of self-doxxing tools to help you with the process. 

For most people, shrinking their online footprint will involve changing the privacy settings on social media accounts from public to private, using unique usernames, and removing content from Google Search results. 

Remember to opt out of data brokers, as their websites will typically appear on the first page of Google Search, making them an easy first stop for bad actors. 

Learn more in our guide on how to prevent doxxing.

If you’re a TikTok user, you should know how to report doxxing on TikTok. 

This guide will walk you through how to report doxxing (i.e., the sharing of your personal information without your consent) on TikTok and how you can help reduce the risk of being doxxed in the future.

TikTok’s Doxxing Policy 

TikTok’s user policy doesn’t specifically mention doxxing, but it does forbid any content containing personal information that may create a risk of violence, phishing, stalking, fraud, identity theft, or financial exploitation. This is regardless of who posted the content (i.e., the user themselves or someone else).

The following information is expressly forbidden on TikTok:

• Contact information, including phone numbers and home addresses.
• Bank account information, credit card numbers, or other financial details.
• Usernames and passwords.
• Official or government identification documents, including social security cards, driver’s licenses, and passports.
• Threats to dox or hack someone or support someone else threatening to do so.

How to Report Doxxing on TikTok

Here are all the ways you can report doxxing on TikTok. 

Report doxxing through an online form 

If you have screenshots or a video of the doxxing content, you can file a report using TikTok’s US privacy web form (European users, use this link instead). 

This form is a good way to report doxxing for desktop users – but keep in mind that showing proof of the doxxing could expedite the review. 

Here’s how to report doxxing using the US privacy web form. 

1. Go to Tiktok’s US privacy web form 

Go to the US privacy web form: https://www.tiktok.com/legal/report/us-privacy 

2. Submit your information and specify your request

The form will ask you for your state, email address, and username. 

You will also need to specify your request. Using the dropdown menu and choose “Report a privacy violation” to report doxxing.

3. Add links to content you want to review and explain how the content violates your privacy 

The form will then ask you to add a link to the content you’d like TikTok to review (you can add up to 10 links) and explain how the content violates your privacy rights. 

4. Upload screenshots (optional)

You can upload screenshots or media at the bottom of the form.

5. Confirm that the information you shared is accurate and click “Submit”

Confirm that all the information above is accurate and true and that you understand that abuse of the privacy webform can lead to account suspension. 

Click “Submit.” 

That’s it! You’ve reported doxxing to TikTok. 

Report a TikTok video

You can report a TikTok video through the app and web browser. 

App

Follow these steps to report a doxxing TikTok video through the app. 

1. Click “Share”

Next to the video, click “Share” or press and hold the video to bring up the share screen.

2. Click “Report” 

Click “Report” on the next menu, followed by “Sharing personal information” as the reason you’re reporting the video. 

3. Submit

Click “Submit” to finish the report.

Web browser

Follow these steps to report a doxxing TikTok video through your web browser. 

1. Hover over “More options”

Hover over the top right corner of the video with your mouse until three horizontal dots (“More options”) pop up.

2. Click “Report”

From the menu that pops up, click “Report” followed by “Sharing personal information” as the reason that you’re filing the report. 

3. Submit 

Click “Submit” to complete the report. 

Report a TikTok comment

Along with videos, you can also report TikTok comments for sharing your personal information without your permission. 

To do so on mobile, give a long press on the comment you’d like to report (on PC, click on the comment). 

From the menu that pops up, click “Report.” 

Click “More” and “Sharing personal information.” 

Click “Submit.” 

Report a direct message on TikTok

Sometimes, it’s direct messages that are the problem. 

Fortunately, you can easily report a direct message on TikTok by selecting the three dots to the upper right of the message and choosing “Report.”

Report a TikTok hashtag 

To report a hashtag on TikTok, tap or click on the hashtag you’d like to report. Then select “Share,” followed by “Report.” 

Click “Sharing personal information.”

Click “Submit.” 

Report a LIVE TikTok video

LIVE videos can be particularly unsettling when used to doxx or harm others. 

You can report a LIVE video by tapping “Share” from the video and then “Report.”

Since there’s no option for “Sharing personal information,” click “Harassment or bullying” or “Other” instead.

Click “Submit.” 

Report a LIVE TikTok comment

As with reporting non-LIVE TikTok comments, you can report a LIVE TikTok comment by long pressing or clicking on the comment and then choosing “Report.” 

Again, since there’s no option for “Sharing personal information,” click “Harassment or bullying” or “Other” instead.

Click “Submit.” 

Report a TikTok account 

If there’s a TikTok account showing a repeated pattern of posting inappropriate or offensive content, impersonating other accounts, or generally creating an unsafe environment on the platform, you can report it. 

To do so, go to the person’s profile page. If using the mobile app, click “Share” on the top part of the screen; on PC, click the three dots (“More Options”). 

On the next menu, select “Report” followed by “Report account,” and then choose why you’re submitting the report (in this case, you’ll need to select “Other”) before clicking “Submit” to do so.

How Did Someone Doxx Me? 

It’s surprisingly easy to learn a great deal about virtually anyone with an online presence. 

If you’re like most internet users, you’ve probably shared a ton of personal information about yourself online over the years. Bad actors can follow your online footprint with relative ease – and then use that information to steal your identity, stalk you, break into your accounts, swat you, harass you, doxx you, etc. 

It doesn’t help that some websites – called data brokers and people search sites – operate by scraping data from online sources and then selling that data to anyone willing to pay a minimal fee. 

If someone knows your username, email address, home address, or full name, they can learn significantly more about you by looking you up on a data broker.

Here’s an example of a data broker profile:

As you can see, it provides a lot of basic information about a person (their full name, age, birth date, home address, relatives, and associates) for free. 

Fortunately, you can opt out of most data brokers. Use our free opt-out guides to remove your name from common data brokers. You will need to opt out of every data broker with a profile on you. 

It’s also important to note that you must opt out continuously, as your profile will be reactivated when new data is uncovered. 

As an alternative to opting out from individual data brokers manually, consider subscribing to a data broker removal service such as DeleteMe. 

Become Undoxxable 

The most surefire way to become undoxxable is to dox yourself. Doing so will give you a better idea of where your personal data appears on the internet. Get started by following our guide to doxxing yourself using this list of self-doxxing tools.

Once you’ve doxxed yourself, you’ll know what steps you need to take next. Most people find that they need to change their social media settings from public to private, opt out of data brokers, and remove their data from Google Search results.

To learn more, read our guide on how to prevent doxxing. 

To save you from googling “how to prevent doxxing reddit” and then going through countless Reddit threads to find relevant answers, we’ve done the hard work for you. 

Follow along as we share key points from Redditors on preventing your personal information from being published online without your permission. 

How to Prevent Doxxing According to Reddit 

Redditors have several good suggestions for keeping yourself safe from the threat of doxxing.

Dox yourself

Since you already have an online footprint, your first step should be to dox yourself, according to one Redditor. 

Doxxing yourself involves trying to see how much personal information you can find about yourself online and then deleting as much of this information as possible, whether that’s personal websites, social media comments, forum posts, or something else entirely. 

While there are many different ways to approach this, one of the easiest and most common methods is to google yourself. 

For step-by-step instructions, follow our guide on how to dox yourself. You can also use our list of self-doxxing tools, of which Google is just one.

Remove yourself from data brokers

As this Redditor suggests, there are websites (called data brokers and people search sites) where you can find a wealth of information about a person just by typing in their username, email address, home address, or full name. 

Data brokers deploy automated data scrapers to collect public information from social media pages, public records, and other publicly available sources. They then compile this information into profiles and sell it to anyone with (usually) no questions asked.

A typical data broker profile includes information like a person’s full name, any known aliases, email addresses, phone numbers, past and current home addresses, age, date of birth, family members, places of employment, and links to online accounts (including dating profiles).

You can opt out of data brokers, but you will need to opt out of each one that has a profile on you. Each broker has its own process for opting out; you can browse our list of opt-out guides to see the full selection.

You should also note that data brokers will republish your profile even after you opt out when new information turns up on the internet (meaning you will need to repeat the opt-out process again). Alternatively, consider subscribing to a data broker service such as DeleteMe to have experts handle the repetitive opt-out process for you.  

Use unique usernames

One of the most common ways that people get doxxed, according to the below Reddit user, is through the use of the same username for all or most online accounts.

When you use the same (or similar) username for everything, bad actors can follow you across the internet – from social media platforms to forums to online shopping sites. Everywhere you hang out and make posts, they’ll be able to see it (along with any personal information you’ve shared).

Some data brokers also have a reverse username lookup tool, meaning all someone has to do is type in your username to see everything associated with it – including your full name, home address, and so on. 

To reduce the risk you’ll be doxxed through your username, use different usernames on each website you have an account with. 

Another Redditor suggests using someone else’s username from another platform to throw doxxers off the trail. 

Don’t use the same profile picture

Did you know someone could track you across the web through your profile picture (or any other image you share online)? 

As this Redditor explains, people don’t realize how easy it is to do a reverse image search on a photo – and how quickly it can connect accounts. 

By doing a reverse lookup on your profile picture on Instagram, a bad actor could potentially find your Facebook account, for example (if you posted the picture in both places).

Because of this, you should avoid posting pictures on more than one platform. For optimal safety, avoid sharing pictures of yourself altogether.

Limit what you share on social media

Even though social profiles can be a great source of personal information for doxxers, it’s not realistic for most people to quit social media altogether, as this Redditor acknowledges. 

To prevent bad actors from getting your personal information while still using social media, minimize how much sensitive information you post for a public audience. 

Limit personal information like where you picked up a coffee today or your new dog’s name to your friends and followers. 

By restricting the amount of information you put online, you’ll make it harder for potential doxxers to dig up data that they could use against you. 

Set up Google Alerts for your name

If you’ve been following along with each tip and you’ve doxxed yourself as we suggested earlier, then you already know where your personal information is showing up on the internet. 

But, unless you plan to dox yourself continuously (recommended, but not always practical), you’ll need to know when new information about you turns up online. 

As this Redditor recommends, a good way to ensure you’re informed when that happens is to set up a Google Alert.

Setting up a Google Alert is simple. Visit the Google Alert page (signing in as needed), then type in your full name. 

You can also choose to be alerted if your email address or any other contact info shows up. 

Google will then send you updates to your RSS feed or email inbox. 

Use different email addresses

Along with using different usernames for each account, you should also consider using unique email addresses for different purposes. 

By using one email for social networks and forums, for example, and another for communicating with your friends, you’ll reduce the risk that a bad actor will be able to find all your accounts, whether through Google Search or data brokers (in addition to username lookups, data brokers also let you search for people based on their email address). 

If a bad actor breaks into one of your accounts, having separate usernames can also prevent them from accessing your other accounts. 

Maintaining a separate email for banking and e-commerce will help keep your financial details sequestered.

Another option is using a masked email. This will mask your actual email address with a dummy one, but all emails will be forwarded to your actual email inbox). You can choose between using an email provider with built-in masked email features or a dedicated service. For instance, in addition to data broker removals, all DeleteMe customers also get masked emails. 

Remove metadata from photos

Sometimes, the pictures you upload reveal more than you intend – including giving away your location, as this Redditor points out.

Aside from avoiding any store signs or street names when you take your picture (or blurring them out before you upload them), you should be aware that each photo you upload can contain geotags that could pinpoint your location exactly, depending on where you’re uploading it (most social media platforms strip your images of geotags automatically). 

Assume whatever is online will stay online

As this Redditor cautions, you should keep in mind that anything you put on the internet could stay there forever.

Deleting a social media or forum post does not mean it is permanently erased. 

It’s easy to take screenshots on any device, meaning someone could have taken a picture of what you posted. 

Internet archive services also store some websites indefinitely (although, in some cases, you can request them to remove your personal website backup).

Be nice

Well, you don’t have to, but this Redditor makes a good point: Don’t give people a reason to find you, and you’re much less likely to be doxxed.

As a good rule of thumb, don’t say things on the internet that you wouldn’t stand behind in real life. 

Being a controversial antagonist or a “troll” online makes it more likely that others will target you and try to “grief” you in real life. 

Becoming Undoxxable 

Ultimately, the less information there is about you online, the more difficult it will be for someone to dox you. With that in mind, your goal should be to get as close to being undoxxable as you can.

To learn more, read our guide on how to prevent doxxing. 

Although doxxing and cyberbullying might sound similar, there are a few big differences between these two potential threats to your online safety- and if you’re a regular internet user, you should know what they are.

Doxxing and Cyberbullying: What’s the Difference

Both doxxing and cyberbullying are harmful activities that can happen online. 

Doxxing (publishing someone else’s personal information online without their permission) with malicious intent is actually a form of cyberbullying. In other words, cyberbullying is a broad category of antagonistic online behaviors, including doxxing.

However, if a bad actor doxxes you, it could lead to other harmful activities outside of cyberbullying.

If someone is doxxing you online, for instance, and they get ahold of your email address and other personal information, they can use that information to harass you, swat you, impersonate you on social media platforms, or send you threats of extortion and blackmail. 

Doxxing can be a springboard for a host of criminal behaviors. 

To help clarify, let’s look at what exactly doxxing and cyberbullying are.

What Is Doxxing

Doxxing is the unconsented sharing of someone else’s personal information (such as their home address, home phone number, email address, and so on) online. Read our guide to learn how doxxing works. 

As a practice, doxxing began in the hacking community and later spread into gaming. 

Today, doxxing has become increasingly common across social media and on forums, with online trolls and bad actors being the primary culprits. If someone maliciously doxxes you in this manner, they are also cyberbullying you.

What Is Cyberbullying 

Cyberbullying can refer to any number of activities involving malicious intent and digital devices (including mobile phones, desktops, and tablets). 

Someone sending hateful messages to your social media account, posting harmful or false images of you on a forum or sending photos of you to someone else without your permission are all examples of cyberbullying. 

How to Prevent Doxxing and Cyberbullying 

The key to preventing doxxing and cyberbullying lies in shrinking your online footprint to make it more difficult for bad actors to find your personal information and subsequently share it or use it for nefarious reasons. 

To get an idea of where your information is publicly visible online, you should dox yourself (refer to our list of self-doxxing tools). 

While it may sound strange, going through the steps of doxxing yourself will give you a better idea of where your data appears online and help you formulate a game plan of how to remove this data before someone else finds it. 

Once you dox yourself, you’ll likely need to do the following: 

→ Opt out of data brokers and people search sites. Data brokers and people search sites are companies that scrape the internet to collect public information on individuals (from social media profiles, public records, and so on) and then sell that data to more or less anyone who wants it. You can opt out of data brokers using our free opt-out guides. Or, subscribe to a data broker removal service like DeleteMe to have privacy experts remove your details from these sites on your behalf. 

→ Change your social media privacy settings from public to private. On most social platforms, everything you share (your username, posts, comments, etc.) is public by default. 

→ Remove your personal information from other places online, including blogs, forums, and third-party websites. For third-party websites, you’ll need to contact the website owner or administrator. You can usually find out who that is on the site’s “About Us” or “Contact Us” page or by using the Whois Lookup tool. 

→ Remove your data from Google products, including Google Search results and Maps. However, note that removing your information from Google Search will only remove it from the search engine. The information itself will still exist on the site where it was published. It will also still be findable through other search engines like Bing. 

→ Use different usernames and passwords for all of your accounts. This reduces the likelihood that someone will be able to trace you across the web. Note that some data brokers and people search sites have a “Username Lookup” tool that lets you type in someone’s username and find out personal information about them, including their full name, home address, phone number, education, employment history, and other online accounts (like dating profiles). 

→ Be nice. It won’t always matter, but if you don’t go out of your way to troll or be mean to other users, they will likely not be inclined to troll you back. 

Taking these steps will help minimize the likelihood that you’ll be doxxed, which can also reduce the chances that you’ll be cyberbullied. 

What to Do If You’re Experiencing Doxxing and Cyberbullying 

Being doxxed or cyberbullied can be very distressing. If you’re experiencing it, you should keep the following tips in mind:

• If you’re in immediate danger, go to a different location.
• Collect evidence of the behavior (screenshots, videos, recordings, etc.) and report the doxxing or cyberbullying to law enforcement. 
• Emotional support is important. Tell your friends and family members that you are being doxxed or cyberbullied so they know what’s going on. 
• You should also report the behavior to the platform it occurred on (such as Instagram, X/Twitter, Facebook, and so on). 
• Don’t respond to cyberbullying or engage with the perpetrator, as that is exactly what they are hoping you will do. Doing so can make them go further in their efforts to distress you.
• Block the user sending the messages or texts. If they’re sending you emails, set up a filter so they go directly into the “Junk” folder. 
• See if you’re protected by laws in your state. Doxxing and cyberbullying are considered criminal activities in some states in the US.

Doxxing and Cyberbullying Laws 

While there are no federal laws against doxxing and cyberbullying, individual states have established their own laws against them, and others are rapidly putting appropriate laws into place. 

For example, Michigan has a three-tier penalty system against cyberbullying, with penalties ranging from a $500 fine and 93 days in jail up to a $10,000 fine and 10 years in jail (if cyberbullying leads to the death of the victim). It’s also illegal in North Carolina, where first-time offenders can see up to 120 days in jail and/or a discretionary fine. 

Doxxing is illegal in some states, too. For example, in California, doxxing someone can lead to up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine against the guilty, and in Illinois, doxxing victims can take perpetrators to civil court. 

Becoming Undoxxable 

The smaller your digital footprint, the less likely it is that someone will be able to find your personal information online and then use it against you. Take steps to reduce the amount of data that exists about you on the internet, and you’ll be one step closer to being safe from doxxers and cyberbullies alike. 

To learn more, read our guide on how to prevent doxxing. 

If you live in Arizona and are interested in online privacy and keeping your personal information safe, you’ve probably asked yourself: Is doxxing illegal in Arizona? 

In this guide, we’ll review the criminal consequences of doxxing in Arizona and examine how the state defines doxxing.

Is Doxxing Illegal in Arizona?

Yes. The act of doxxing is illegal in Arizona as the state recognizes the risks that can come from someone sharing your personal information online without your consent. 

The behavior is specifically referred to in Arizona Revised Statutes. § 13-2916(A)(4).

In Arizona, doxxing is defined as using an electronic communication device to electronically distribute someone’s personal identifying information to harass, injure, or cause a person unwanted physical contact. 

What is personal identifying information?

Under Arizona’s doxxing law, personal identifiable information is considered to be any information that would make it possible for a person to be contacted, harassed, or located or any information which includes the victim’s home/work address, email address, phone number, or other contact information.

If someone publishes your personal information (especially your contact information) online and it leads to “unwanted physical contact, injury or harassment,” they can be charged with doxxing under Arizona’s doxxing law.

When Is Doxxing Not a Crime In Arizona?

It’s not always a crime to dox someone in Arizona. If you’re reporting a crime or engaging in constitutionally protected speech, you won’t be facing charges. 

Arizona’s doxxing law also doesn’t apply to an “interactive computer service” (i.e., social media websites like Facebook can’t be charged for doxxing incidents carried out by a third party on their platforms) or information or telecommunications services.

What’s the Penalty for Doxxing In Arizona?

The penalty for doxxing in Arizona is a class 1 misdemeanor, which comes with up to six months in jail and/or a fine of up to $2,500.

Is Doxxing Illegal at the Federal Level?

There is no federal law against doxxing in the United States, which leaves millions of Americans vulnerable to having their personal information published and exploited online. 

While Arizona (among other states, including California and Illinois) offers after-the-fact legal protection to its residents, it does not prevent doxxing from happening in the first place.

Whether you live in a place with doxxing laws or not, it’s important to recognize that you can take steps to prevent doxxing. To proactively limit the potential that you’ll be doxxed, you should make yourself undoxxable.

How to Protect Yourself Against Doxxing In Arizona (And Elsewhere)

To make yourself undoxxable, you’ll first need to dox yourself. This may seem counterintuitive, but it is the best approach to finding where your data is visible online and figuring out what steps you’ll need to take to remove or hide it from the general public. 

Doxxing yourself is surprisingly easy – take a look at our guide on how to dox yourself, following each recommendation for the best effect. You can also use our list of doxxing tools. 

Whatever information you find about yourself online, your next step should be to reduce it. In most cases, that means:

• Opting out of data brokers. Data brokers are companies that collect information about people, compile this information into profiles, and publish them for sale on their sites . You’ll need to opt out of each data broker that has a profile on you. Because brokers relist your data even after you opt-out, you’ll likely need to do it more than once (unless you hire a data broker removal service such as DeleteMe to do it for you continuously). 
• Changing your social media security settings from public to private. Depending on the platform you’re using, the process and the results will vary. The goal is to make your biographical details and posts visible to your friends and hidden from the general public.
• Creating and using unique usernames and passwords to prevent bad actors from following your online trail.
• Stopping yourself from giving out unnecessary information online, whether to other people or while setting up accounts or profiles.   

The less information there is about you on the internet, the harder it will be for someone to doxx you. For more information, read our guide on how to prevent doxxing. 

As the number of doxxing cases grows every day in the state and elsewhere, North Carolina residents might wonder: Is doxxing illegal in North Carolina? 

In this guide, we’ll look at the legality of doxxing in North Carolina, along with crimes often associated with it. 

Is Doxxing Illegal in North Carolina?

No. Doxxing, or sharing someone else’s personal information without permission, is not expressly illegal in North Carolina. 

Doxxing Related Activities That Are Illegal In North Carolina

Even though doxxing is not expressly illegal in North Carolina, there are numerous crimes that can happen as a result of doxxing that are. If you’re concerned about being doxxed, you should be aware of how they can come into play. 

In North Carolina, these crimes include stalking, cyberstalking, communicating threats, phone harassment, cyberbullying, and extortion. 

Stalking

Stalking (North Carolina General Statute § 14-277.3A) in North Carolina is defined as repeatedly harassing another person to the point that the victim fears for their personal safety or the safety of their family. 

The charge can also be applied if a victim feels substantial emotional distress due to fear of impending death, injury, or continued harassment as a result of the perpetrator’s actions.

Someone charged with stalking in North Carolina faces a class A1 misdemeanor, which comes with up to 150 days in jail and a discretionary fine.

Cyberstalking

In North Carolina, cyberstalking (North Carolina General Statute § 14-196.3) involves using electronic communication to abuse, threaten, harass, or track another person. 

Specifically, the law prohibits a) electronically threatening a person or their family with bodily harm, injury to their property, or extortion, b) repeatedly communicating with someone electronically to abuse, annoy, threaten, harass, or embarrass them, and c)  communicating electronically with a person to make false statements about death, injury, illness, or similar to annoy, abuse, or threaten them. 

It is also illegal under this law to place an electronic tracking device on a person without their consent (with some exceptions). 

Those found guilty of cyberstalking in North Carolina are charged with a class 2 misdemeanor, amounting to up to 60 days in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.

Communicating threats

While similar to stalking and cyberstalking, the charge of communicating threats (North Carolina General Statute § 14-277.1) refers explicitly to issuing threats against a person, their family, or their property. 

The threat can be made verbally, in writing, electronically, or through any other method – it simply must be convincing enough for the victim to reasonably fear the threat will be carried out. 

If charged with communicating a threat in North Carolina, perpetrators will face a class 1 misdemeanor, equaling up to 120 days in jail and a discretionary fine.

Phone harassment

When someone uses the phone as their method of choice for harassing their victim in North Carolina, they can be charged with phone harassment (North Carolina General Statute § 14-196). 

The types of abuse that can come from unwanted phone contact are outlined in the legal code, including using words or language that threaten to inflict bodily harm to a person or their family or physical injury to their property or for extortion.

When phone harassment occurs in North Carolina, it is considered a class 2 misdemeanor, the penalty for which is up to 60 days in jail and/or a fine of up to $1,000. 

Cyberbullying 

In North Carolina, cyberbullying (North Carolina General Statute § 14-458.1) is defined as using a computer to carry out harmful behaviors, most of which relate to minors, including posting pictures of a minor to harass the minor or their parents or building a fake profile with the “intent to intimidate or torment a minor.” 

First-time offenders who are charged with cyberbullying face a class 1 misdemeanor with up to 120 days in jail and a discretionary fine.

Extortion 

In North Carolina, extortion (North Carolina General Statute § 14-457) is defined as threatening to commit an act to extort money or for any other monetary advantage or to pressure a person to do/refrain from carrying out a specific act against his will. 

Extortion is a class F felony in the state, which comes with a prison sentence between 10 and 41 months. 

A lesser form of the crime, blackmail (North Carolina General Statute § 14-118), is considered a Class 1 misdemeanor in North Carolina with up to 120 days in jail and a discretionary fine applied. 

Is Doxxing Illegal at the Federal Level?

No. Despite the many dangers that can come from having your information shared online without your permission, doxxing is not currently illegal at the federal level. 

This is partly due to the vast amount of personal information that exists about individuals on the internet, some of which is shared willingly – and some of which isn’t. 

However, a growing number of states in the US, including California and Illinois, have passed anti-doxxing laws. 

That said, since there is no federal law against doxxing, and North Carolina hasn’t made it explicitly illegal, residents should take extra precautions to make themselves undoxxable to limit the possibility of criminal behaviors taking place.

How to Protect Yourself Against Doxxing In North Carolina (And Elsewhere)

To make yourself undoxxable, your first step should be to dox yourself (if you’re not sure where to start, check out our guide to doxxing yourself and our list of doxxing tools). 

Doing so will give you the best idea of where your information is visible on the internet and, as such, where you’ll need to remove it from. 

Most people will find that they’ll need to do a minimum of the following to shrink their online footprint: 

• Opt out of data brokers or companies that exist to collect public information about individuals and then sell them to anyone willing to pay a small fee (including political groups, hackers, and identity thieves). Remember that opting out once usually isn’t enough, as data brokers are known to refresh their databases once new information is found. Alternatively, consider subscribing to a data broker removal service like DeleteMe. 
• Change your social media account settings so that your biography details are private and your posts aren’t viewable by everyone. 
• Use unique usernames and passwords for all of the accounts you create.
• Avoid giving out your personal information online unless it is completely necessary.

The less information there is about you on the web, the less likely it is that you will be doxxed. For more information, read our guide on how to prevent doxxing. 

Is doxxing illegal in Maryland? If you’re a resident of the state and are wondering how protected you’d be if someone published your personal information online without your permission – or what would happen if someone used that information to harm you – you’ll find the answers in this guide. 

Is Doxxing Illegal in Maryland?

No. The act of doxxing is not illegal in Maryland. This means that someone can publish your information online without your consent and not face a legal penalty. 

Doxxing Related Activities That Are Illegal In Maryland

Even though doxxing isn’t illegal in Maryland, there are crimes that go hand-in-hand with doxxing that you should familiarize yourself with as they may come up in doxxing situations.

In Maryland, these include harassment, stalking, misuse of telephone facilities and equipment, and misuse of electronic communication. 

Harassment

Behaving in a way that alarms, annoys, or harasses someone after being asked to stop is considered harassment (Maryland Criminal Law Code Section 3-803) in Maryland. 

This law doesn’t apply to persons engaging in peaceful activities to express political views or inform others. 

In Maryland, harassment is a misdemeanor that comes with imprisonment (up to 90 days) and/or a fine of up to $500. For any subsequent offense, the penalty increases to 180 days imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $1,000. 

Stalking

Stalking (Maryland Criminal Law Code Section 3-802), defined in Maryland as putting someone in reasonable fear of serious bodily injury, rape, false imprisonment, or death in such a way that causes severe emotional distress, is a serious crime. 

In Maryland, stalking is charged as a misdemeanor, with the perpetrator facing up to five years in jail and/or a fine of up to $5,000.  

Notably, Maryland’s legal code states that stalking can take place in person or using electronic means. If you’ve been doxxed and someone is harassing you continually to the point of stalking you online, this law could come into play.

Misuses of telephone facilities and equipment 

Using the phone to annoy, harass, or embarrass other people by making inappropriate comments – which can certainly come up if bad actors get ahold of your home or work phone number via doxxing – is charged under Maryland’s Misuse of telephone facilities and equipment law (Maryland Criminal Law Code Section 3-804). 

Misusing telephone facilities is a misdemeanor in Maryland that can result in up to three years in jail and/or a $500 fine.

Misuses of electronic communication

Since doxxing is an online activity, a closely related criminal behavior in Maryland is misusing electronic communication. 

This law mostly encapsulates protections for minors, including making it a crime to repeatedly contact minors online, publishing images of minors online, or making statements to encourage others to harass a minor online. 

However, the law also includes protections against those who use electronic communication to harass, alarm, or annoy another person even after that person has asked them to stop. 

Additionally, the law covers making fake online profiles and posing as others in electronic communication.

Those found guilty of misusing electronic communication in Maryland face a misdemeanor with up to a three-year imprisonment and/or a $10,000 fine. 

Is Doxxing Illegal at the Federal Level?

Despite the dangers that can come from doxxing, it’s not illegal at the federal level. 

Some states, such as California and Illinois, are taking their residents’ protection against doxxing into their own hands as a result, and a growing number of states are considering doxxing laws.

If you live in an area like Maryland, where there are no specific anti-doxxing laws, it becomes especially important to do what you can to minimize the possibility of being doxxed. 

While you may not be able to hold someone accountable when they obtain and release your personal information, you can at least limit the amount of information that’s publicly viewable on the internet.

How to Protect Yourself Against Doxxing In Maryland (And Elsewhere)

Your best option to limit the access doxxers have to you is to make yourself as undoxxable as possible. 

Doing so means methodically assessing your online footprint and closing gaps that make your personal data vulnerable. 

We’ve put together a guide on how to dox yourself, and you can also refer to this list of doxxing tools to get started.

Once you’ve doxxed yourself, you’ll have a clearer idea of what you’ll need to do next. For most people, this will involve: 

• Opting out of data brokers. Data brokers are companies that collect public information and compile it into profiles, which are then sold to anyone willing to pay a minimal fee. You’ll likely run into several data broker websites when you dox yourself, and you’ll need to opt out of each one. Furthermore, data brokers refresh their databases when new information is uncovered, meaning you’ll need to opt out of their databases repeatedly. Consider using a data broker removal service like DeleteMe – our privacy experts can handle the opt-out process for you.
• Changing your privacy settings on your social media accounts so that only your friends can see your posts and biographical information. 
• Using unique usernames on different platforms to make it harder for doxxers to follow you.
• Being very mindful of what information you share online and with whom.

The less data there is about you on the web, the harder it will be for someone to doxx you. To learn more, read our guide on how to prevent doxxing. 

If you live in “the Land of Ten Thousand Lakes” and care about your online privacy, you should know the answer to the question: Is doxxing illegal in Minnesota? 

In this guide, we’ll review whether sharing someone’s personal information without their permission in Minnesota is considered criminal activity. We’ll also look at other illegal activities in the state that can be involved in a doxxing incident.

Is Doxxing Illegal in Minnesota?

Yes, doxxing is illegal in Minnesota, but only if you’re a law enforcement officer or a family member of a law enforcement officer. 

Under Section 609.5151 of the Minnesota Statutes, making a law enforcement official’s or their family/household member’s personal information publicly available without their consent is a crime. 

Personal information can mean an officer’s home address, photos of their home, or directions to their home. 

For the sharing of information to be deemed criminal, it must pose a serious threat to the official’s (or their family’s) safety – something that the person sharing this information knows or should be reasonably expected to know. 

Doxxing a law enforcement officer is classified as a gross misdemeanor in Minnesota, giving the offender up to a year in jail and/or up to a $3,000 fine. 

Doxxing Related Activities That Are Illegal In Minnesota

In most other cases, sharing someone’s personal information without their permission in Minnesota is not a crime. 

However, even if Minnesota’s doxxing law doesn’t apply to you, another Minnesota law might. That’s because doxxing can lead to certain activities that are illegal in Minnesota, like obscene or harassing telephone calls, emergency telephone calls, harassment and stalking, and coercion. 

Obscene or harassing telephone calls

If someone has your phone number, they can harass or annoy you over the phone. 

Making obscene, intimidating, or harassing telephone calls in Minnesota is a crime under Section 609.79 of the Minnesota Statutes. 

The crime of making obscene or harassing phone calls comes with up to 90 days in jail and/or a fine of up to $1,000.

Emergency telephone calls

In Minnesota, it’s a crime to abuse the emergency telephone system. 

As per Section 609.78 of the Minnesota Statutes, it’s illegal to make a false call about a crime while knowing that no crime has occurred. 

This behavior is sometimes called “swatting” and is one of the more dangerous doxxing-associated activities. 

Those who make a false claim about a crime face a misdemeanor with up to 90 days imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $1,000.

If the call is intended to prompt an “emergency response,” the charge goes up to a gross misdemeanor, with up to a year in jail and/or a fine of up to $3,000. 

Beyond that, if the call results in serious injury or death (as swatting sometimes does), it will be a felony charge with up to 10 years in prison and/or a $20,000 fine. 

Harassment and stalking

Minnesota lumps harassment and stalking together as a single charge (Section 609.749 of the Minnesota Statutes). 

In Minnesota, a person commits harassment or stalking by harassment if they place their victim in reasonable fear of bodily harm or emotional distress. 

Several activities can constitute harassment or stalking in Minnesota, including: 

• Directly or indirectly intending to injure a person, their property, or rights.
• Following or monitoring a person, whether in-person or through other means (including technological).
• Returning to a person’s property without their permission.
• Repeatedly calling or texting a person.
• Causing a person’s phone to ring constantly. 
• Repeatedly sending correspondence or packages to a person. 
• Making false allegations against a peace officer about the performance of their official duties.
• Using a person’s personal information without their consent to encourage, invite, or solicit someone else to engage in a sexual act with them.

Harassment/stalking by harassment is typically a gross misdemeanor in Minnesota, equating to up to one year in jail and/or a $3,000 fine. 

In some cases, like if the victim is under the age of 18 and the perpetrator is 36 months older than them, or if the harassing activity is motivated by the victim’s race or religion, or if the perpetrator uses a dangerous weapon, harassment is a felony offense, with up to five years imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $10,000. 

Coercion

It is considered criminal coercion (Section 609.27 of the Minnesota Statutes) in Minnesota to force someone to do something against their will. 

Several types of threats (for example, inflicting bodily harm to a person or threatening to expose a secret) qualify for the charge of coercion in Minnesota. 

The penalties for coercion in Minnesota are tiered, starting at 90 days imprisonment and/or a $1,000 fine and going up to 10 years in prison and/or a $20,000 fine. 

Is Doxxing Illegal at the Federal Level?

No. It is not illegal at the federal level to dox someone.

However, as doxxing is becoming more popular, some states (including Illinois, California, and Arizona) have enacted anti-doxxing laws. 

Legal protection against doxxing is still lacking because there is a substantial amount of information available about most people in the public sphere – some of which was shared voluntarily (and some of which wasn’t). 

Because of that, it’s important to take your safety into your own hands and make yourself as undoxxable as possible. That means scrubbing your personal information from anywhere it appears in public on the internet, or at least shrinking your online footprint so it’s harder for others to find you. 

How to Protect Yourself Against Doxxing In Minnesota (And Elsewhere)

To make yourself undoxxable, you’ll need to begin by doxxing yourself (check out our guide to doxxing yourself using this list of doxxing tools to get started). 

As strange as it may sound, doing so will give you the best idea of what steps you need to take to remove or hide your personal data. 

Once you’ve doxxed yourself, your goal should be to go through each place you found your personal information on and remove it. For most people, this will involve:

• Hiding your personal biography information on your social media profiles.
• Changing your post settings from public to private. 
• Using unique usernames and passwords on different websites to make it harder for doxxers to connect your accounts together.
• Removing your information from data brokers by opting out of their data collection services. Note that you’ll need to repeat the opt-out process whenever new information is uncovered by data brokers, or your profile will be relisted – unless you hire a data broker removal service such as DeleteMe to handle the opt-outs for you. 
• Requesting the removal of your personal data from Google Search results and other Google products. 
• Avoiding giving out unnecessary information on the internet, especially in public spaces or forums.

The less personal data there is about you on the web, the less likely it is that someone will be able to doxx you. For more information, read our guide on how to prevent doxxing. 

Do you know someone who has a serious doxxing problem? Or maybe you’ve been doxxed yourself. 

This guide will tell you everything you need to know about doxxing, what steps you should take once you’ve been doxxed, and how you can prevent doxxing from happening in the future. 

What Is Doxxing? 

Doxxing is the act of publishing someone’s personal information online without their consent. Regrettably, this practice is becoming more and more common and can often lead to harassment, stalking, and other dangerous behaviors. 

Is Doxxing Illegal?

Doxxing is not illegal at the federal level. 

Doxxing is illegal in some U.S. states (including California, Illinois, and Arizona), but it’s not illegal in most states.

However, even in places where it is not illegal, doxxing can lead to other illegal activities at both the state and federal levels. 

Once your contact information is in the hands of bad actors, you could be at risk of harmful or dangerous behaviors, including harassment, stalking, and swatting (when someone calls law enforcement to report a fake crime at your address to prompt an emergency response). 

How to Report Doxxing

Once you’re aware that you’ve been doxxed, your first step should be to collect evidence. That generally means taking screenshots of electronic communications (including text and/or photos), recording audio communications, or otherwise documenting the offensive behavior. 

If you are in immediate danger, you should report the doxxing and ensuing activities (phone calls, emails, etc) to your local police department. Depending on the state you live in, there may be legal protection against doxxing or the behaviors that emerge from doxxing.

Aside from that, if the doxxing is taking place on a particular platform (such as Twitter/X, Facebook, or Instagram), you can report the behavior directly to that platform. Learn how to do so in our guide on how to report doxxing. 

How to Prevent Doxxing

While reporting doxxing and taking legal action are two steps you should consider once you’ve been doxxed, the most effective protection against doxxing is to do what you can to prevent it from happening in the first place (here’s how doxxing works). 

To prevent doxxing, you’ll need to remove as much personal information about yourself from the internet as possible. 

Doxx yourself 

Doxxing yourself starts with searching for your name and other identifying details (such as your geographic location) on a search engine such as Google to see what comes up. 

However, there are other potential doxing sources besides Google that you’ll need to assess. 

Read our guide on how to dox yourself here for a step-by-step walkthrough, and refer to our list of self-doxxing tools. 

Remove personal information from the web

Once you’ve identified where your data appears online, you’ll need to remove as much of it as possible from the public view. 

For example, you might need to delete or hide social media posts that reveal sensitive information and change your profile to private.

Opt out of data broker sites

Data brokers are websites that collect your personal information from various sources, collate this information into detailed profiles, and then sell these profiles to pretty much anyone willing to pay a small fee. 

Anyone can find you on a data broker website just by knowing your name, email address, username, or home address. 

Data broker profiles can reveal the following personal information about you:

• Your full name. 
• Home address.
• Phone number. 
• Email address. 
• Age.
• Gender.
• Professional information.
• Education history. 
• Family member information.
• Net worth. 
• And more! 

Here’s an example of a data broker profile:

You can opt out of data broker databases. 

However, note that the opt-out process differs from one broker to the next and that you’ll need to repeat the process in a few months’ time as data brokers relist your data when they find more of it.

Alternatively, subscribe to a data broker removal service like DeleteMe to have your personal information removed from data brokers on your behalf. 

Contact third-party sites

If there are third-party websites with photos of you or articles about you, contact them and ask them to be removed. 

You should also remove doxxing content (containing your contact information) from Google search results (though you should note that this does not remove them from the internet entirely). 

Be proactive 

After you’ve gone back and shrunk your existing digital footprint, you should adopt preventative behaviors to keep your personal data from leaking out into public view again. 

This may include:

• Using different usernames for different online accounts to make it more difficult for bad actors to track you. 
• Not sharing personal information, whether with another person online or an app or website you’re signing up for. 
• Not using profile pictures to keep your appearance private and curb potential identity theft.
• Using multiple email addresses, such as one for online accounts, one for work, and one for personal contacts. 
• Changing your social media privacy settings from public to private. 

Becoming Undoxxable

The less information there is about you online, the less likely you are to be doxxed. Follow our tips above to make yourself undoxxable and read our guide on how to prevent doxxing. 

If you’re a Twitter/X user and you’ve been doxxed, this step-by-step guide will show you how to report doxxing on Twitter to have the content reviewed and potentially removed. 

Twitter’s Doxxing Policy 

X (formerly Twitter) does not allow you to share someone else’s personal information without their permission or threaten to do so. 

Read our Twitter doxxing policy guide to see what qualifies as doxxing on X and what factors X moderators consider when reviewing potential doxxing cases. 

How to Report Doxxing On Twitter

You can report doxxing on X on your desktop device or the X app. 

Here’s how. 

App

Follow the below steps to report doxxing on the X app. 

1. Click “Report post”

Once you’ve identified a post with your personal information, click the three dots (“More”) icon on the offending post. 

From the menu that appears, select “Report post.” 

2. Choose the reason you’re reporting the post

On the next screen, you’ll be presented with a long list of options as to why you are reporting the post. 

For most doxxing instances, the relevant option will be “Privacy.” 

You’ll be presented with a few more questions, asking you to clarify how your privacy was violated.

3. Choose whose privacy was violated

Next, you’ll see a short list of options asking whose privacy was violated with the post. 

In most cases, you’ll select yourself, but you might also need to report doxxing on behalf of other people.

Click “Next,” and the report will be submitted.

Desktop

Follow the below steps to report doxxing on the desktop.

1. Click “Report post”

Your first step in reporting a post with doxxing content is to click the three horizontal dots (“More”) in the upper right corner of the post.

From the menu that appears, select “Report post.” 

2.  Choose the reason you’re reporting the post

On the next screen, you’ll need to select why you’re reporting the post. 

In most cases related to doxxing, you’ll choose “Privacy” as the reason the post is being reported. 

From there, you’ll be presented with a clarifying list of options.

3. Confirm whose privacy was violated

Your last step will be to select whose privacy was violated by the post – yourself, someone else, or someone you’re authorized to speak on behalf of. 

Click “Next,” and the report will be submitted.

How Did Someone Doxx Me?

You might be surprised to find out how much of your “private” information is available online. 

More than likely, you’ve shared most of this information yourself on social media platforms, online forums, or websites. 

Unfortunately, bad actors can follow your online trail to find out more about you and then use that information to dox you, harass you, impersonate you, log into your online accounts, etc. For this reason, it’s important to be wary of what you share online.

However, not all of the information available about you on the web was put there by you. 

One of the easiest ways doxxers get information about their targets is using data broker websites. 

These websites make it their business to collect information about individuals and then sell that data as a packaged profile. 

If someone knows your name, username, or email address, they can uncover a great deal more about you using a data broker. 

Luckily, you can opt out of most data brokers. 

You will need to opt out of every single data broker with a profile on you, and you will need to repeat the process regularly as data brokers relist your data when they find more of it.  

Alternatively, consider subscribing to a data broker removal service such as DeleteMe to handle the data broker opt-out process for you. 

Become Undoxxable

The best protection against doxxing is to shrink your online footprint. This means removing as much information about you on the internet as possible and significantly reducing how much you share about your life going forward. 

To get started, dox yourself using our self-doxxing guide and our list of self-doxxing tools. This will give you a good idea of where your information appears online and what steps you’ll need to take to delete it.

In most cases, you’ll need to change the privacy settings on your social media accounts. Don’t forget to opt out of data brokers and people search sites, as these can be the biggest source of your personal data.

For more information, read our guide on how to prevent doxxing. 

If you have a Twitter account and are worried that someone might publish your personal information without your consent (i.e., “doxx” you), it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with Twitter’s doxxing policy. 

In this guide, we’ll examine Twitter’s (now X) rules and policies to see what it says about doxxing. We’ll also look at other behaviors that are reportable on Twitter/X.

Twitter Doxxing Policy Explained

To protect its users, X (formerly known as Twitter) prohibits posting someone else’s personal information on the platform, including private media (such as photos or videos of private individuals). 

X users are also not allowed to threaten to post other people’s identifying details, per Twitter policy.

The following information is expressly forbidden from being shared on X:

• Home address or information that provides specific location (such as GPS coordinates or flight information, a new rule made famous when the flight plan of Elon Musk’s private jet was shared by the ElonJet account);
• Live or real-time location;
• Identity documents, such as social security cards;
• Contact information, including home phone numbers and email addresses;
• Other private information, such as biometric data or medical records;
• Media depicting prisoners of war posted by state-affiliated media on or after April 5, 2022 (per Twitter’s new policy).

Other Behaviors That Are Not Permitted

Along with threatening to expose someone else’s information, Twitter rules prohibit sharing information that could lead to unauthorized access to someone’s online accounts (such as their login credentials), asking for a reward to post someone else’s information, or asking for a reward in exchange for not posting someone else’s information (blackmailing them, in other words) – regardless of whether the victim is a billionaire or otherwise.

4 Factors Twitter Takes Into Account When Reviewing Doxxing Reports

Twitter moderators will look at the type of information shared, who shared the information, why the information was shared, and if the information is available elsewhere on the web to decide if a) doxxing happened or b) the information shared is free speech. 

1. Type of information shared

Since X’s moderation team prioritizes the physical safety of its users above all else, information that jeopardizes that (such as location information or home phone numbers) is considered more dangerous than other kinds of data. 

In particular, X sees live or real-time (same-day) information as particularly risky. 

For example, in 2022, X suspended journalists’ accounts (including Drew Harwell from The Washington Post, Donie O’Sullivan from CNN, Matt Binder from Mashable, and Ryan Mac from Times) following Elon Musk’s claims that they doxxed him. “You dox, you get suspended. End of story,” Musk reportedly said. 

2. Who shared the information

X moderators also take into account who shared the information and if they had permission from the information’s owner to do so. 

For example, if someone is making a call for article pitches or looking for business partners, and they post their phone number or email address and ask for it to be shared, this is seen by X as perfectly acceptable behavior and not doxxing. 

3. Why was the information shared 

Motive is another factor that X moderators consider. 

If the information was shared with malicious intent or posted with a call to action that could lead to personal harm, X’s team will take action. 

On the other hand, if the information is being posted to assist someone (such as after a major natural disaster) or in the public interest, X’s team will likely allow it.

4. Where else is the information available

Lastly, X moderators will see if the information published on Twitter is available elsewhere on the web. 

If it is (for example, if an X user shared their email address on LinkedIn and then it was reposted by someone else on X), the incident might not be considered doxxing. 

There’s one exception: If someone shared your home address, that might be treated as doxxing, even if this information is publicly available elsewhere. 

What Is Not a Violation of Twitter Doxxing Policy?

Information-sharing behaviors that are acceptable on X include:

• Sharing your own information;
• Sharing location information after a length of time has passed (so it is not “live”);
• Sharing publicly available information in a non-abusive manner;
• Sharing non-private information, such as name, date of birth, some places of work, descriptions of physical appearance, gossip, or screenshots of messages from other platforms, unless they contain contact information.

What Happens If You Violate Twitter Doxxing Policy?

If you post private information (including live location information) about another user on Twitter once, you’ll be required to take down the information and undergo a brief suspension. 

A second violation of Twitter’s doxxing policy will lead to a permanent ban. 

Sharing private media of other individuals will lead to temporary suspension, according to Twitter’s anti-doxxing policy.

How to Report Doxxing on Twitter 

You can report doxxing on Twitter on either mobile or desktop platforms, though the steps will be slightly different. 

In both cases, it will involve clicking “Report Post” on the individual post and going from there. 

For more information, read our guide on how to report doxxing on Twitter.

Where Do Doxxers Find My Info?

Personal information can show up in a number of public places online, including social media platforms and online forums. Making a few comments in an online forum can reveal a lot about you if you aren’t careful. 

For example, here’s what one Reddit user was able to uncover about another user based on their posting history: 

Another common place doxxers get information is data broker websites.

Data brokers are companies that collect information about you, compile this information into comprehensive profiles, and sell them to more or less anyone (often without asking what they will do with this information). 

You can opt out of data brokers, but be aware that it is a lengthy process. You will need to contact each data broker with a profile on you, fill out the individual opt-out form, and then be ready to repeat the process when new information is uncovered and your profile is renewed. 

Alternatively, you can subscribe to a data broker removal service like DeleteMe to have privacy experts continuously remove you from data brokers.

Become Undoxxable 

The best way to prevent being doxxed on Twitter and other online platforms is to reduce your digital footprint and become undoxxable. 

To do so, you’ll need to find out what information appears about you online. Use our guide on how to dox yourself with this list of self-doxxing tools.

Once you’ve identified where your information is showing up, delete as much of it as you can, and be careful about what new information you put out there from now on. This will make it harder for doxxers to find your personal information in the future.

For more information, read our guide on how to prevent doxxing.