Lesson 6. What to do if you become a victim of doxing?

What can you do if it’s too late and your private data has already been published and exposed? Where can you get help? And how can you prevent further leaks of data and information? This lesson gives answers to these questions.

What to do if you become a victim of doxing?

• Report it
  • Contact the platforms
    If you have fallen victim to doxing, you can try to contact the moderators of the website where your data was leaked or flag the posts with your data on the social network to have it removed before the information spreads. Doxing typically violates the community guidelines of most mainstream websites and platforms.

  • Document it
    

    Be sure to take screenshots of all posts, messages or websites related to the doxing incident to submit with your report. The goal is to make it easy for the site moderators to quickly understand what has happened and address it.

    It is also a good idea to create a timeline of events by documenting what happened and when. When victims are targeted online, events can move quickly, and it can be difficult to accurately piece together everything that occurred. Feel free to ask someone in your support network to help you organize everything and write it all down.

    This evidence may also be useful when reporting to law enforcement or seeking protection through the courts. 

    Do not be afraid to resubmit your report more than once or quickly inquire about the status of your report if you do not hear back or no action is taken.

    • Lock down your accounts: In the event you have been targeted, it is a good idea to set your account(s) to private, update your passwords, enable 2-factor authentication, verify your contact information and remove any trusted devices you do not recognize.
    • Enlist friends or family members for support: do not be afraid to ask for help. No one should go through this alone, and doxing is never the victim’s fault. There can be a lot of ground to cover when addressing the fallout from a doxing attack, and enlisting your support network is beneficial for both mitigating the harm and providing emotional support.
    
    

    Note that usually the goal of doxers is to cause the victim harm and psychological distress. This is also one of the most dangerous aspects of doxing, and it can ultimately lead to severe consequences. Try not to engage with trolls (this may be what they want!) and seek comfort with your friends, relatives and community. An online mob may move on if you ignore them and do not give them additional reasons to attack you.

• Involve law enforcement
  

  If you receive threats or fear for your physical safety, you may  want to contact law enforcement. In this case, remember to document what is going on, for example, screenshot the threats, to provide law enforcement officers with additional evidence. Remember, doxing is a relatively new term and form of abuse.

  Law enforcement may be unfamiliar with the term doxing or there may not be laws in your jurisdiction to address it. Don’t be discouraged. The best way to navigate this to describe what has occurred.  Instead of saying you’ve been doxed, explain that someone has published personally identifiable information about you on the internet without your permission and has revealed your name, address and other information that can be and often is used for cyberbullying, cyberstalking, harassment or other types of harm.

Where can you get help?

If you or someone you know is concerned about doxing, contact your local authorities or NGOs working in the field of digital rights/safety. They can help you with advocacy, minimizing the consequences, and psychological recovery.

Again, you may have to explain doxing to the organization where you are seeking assistance. Don’t let this discourage you! These organizations can offer many services that can address the harm and start the recovery process.

What measures should be taken to return online safely?

There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution for doxing victims to return safely to their online lives. First off, it is important to set realistic expectations about online safety. This starts with understanding that the best we can do is make ourselves as safe as possible. Remember, there’s no way to exist online and remain 100% safe (even Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey had his Twitter account hacked!). The best thing you can do is be careful when sharing your information and making your accounts as secure as possible. 

In our next lesson, we will give you some recommendations that can help you not become a victim of doxing.