Doxxing
Also known as:
- doxing
- dropping dox
- unmasking
What is Risk ?
Digital risk factors associated with their interests and activities
The term doxxing comes from the phrase dropping docs. It is when a person’s personal details are shared online and could include their:
- full name
- date of birth
- address
- workplace
- contact details
- sexual orientation
- criminal record
- medical history
- political views
This information can be found through:
- social media profiles
- online sources, like employer websites, personal blogs, or public records
- social engineering tactics like phishing
- hacking personal devices or accounts
Where this can happen
Risks and motivations
Risks
Harassment, intimidation, or disruption
Someone might use doxxing to harass or intimate someone else. This could involve:
- using personal details to blackmail someone
- sending unwanted items to someone’s home address
- contacting someone’s employer
- disrupting someone’s own job or business
Personal information can also be shared on forums or online chat threads dedicated to doxxing These can lead to many people harassing or trolling a person at once.
Stalking and unwanted contact
The doxxing of someone’s personal information can be related to cyberstalking behaviours. Knowing where somebody lives or works might make it easier to track their movements.
Doxxing and cyberstalking might lead to unwanted contact. Unwanted contact could involve prank phone calls or the posting of items or letters.
Reputational damage
The doxxing of personal information could reveal someone’s sexual orientation or their political views and beliefs.
This information could change the way someone is viewed or treated. It may also cause reputational damage and this can impact someone’s work or employment.
Physical harm
The doxxing of someone’s home address or place of work could lead to in-person harassment, intimidation, or physical violence.
It could also involve pranks – like calling armed police to a person’s home address.
Identity theft
People who have been doxxed can be at risk of identity theft and fraud. Criminals might use a person’s personal details to make purchases.
Doxxers may also use someone’s image or personal information to imitate someone online. This might involve fake social media accounts or email addresses.
Motivations
Young people can become involved with doxxing because they:
- want revenge on someone they think has hurt them or treated them badly
- want to upset or harass someone who has different views to them
- think it’s fun or entertaining
- are looking for a challenge
- belong to a community that encourages doxxing and online harassment
What you can do
You can report doxxing on some platforms or websites. You can also report it to search engines like Google. Once these reports are reviewed and confirmed, the sensitive information may be removed. Personal information may be restricted from appearing on feeds, or in search results.
Reports should also be made to a bank or building society if any private financial details have been shared.
Whether or not doxxing is illegal can depend on:
- how the information is obtained, like hacking
- the nature of information shared, like medical records
- the motivations for doxxing like intimidation or harassment
If someone has shared someone’s personal information without consent, they could be breaking some laws.
Doxxing behaviours could be a criminal offence under:
- The Protection from Harassment Act 1997
- The Malicious Communications Act 1988
- The Communications Act 2003
If someone has experienced doxxing or harms related to doxxing, they could report it to the police.
A young person might take part in doxxing behaviours. In these cases, you should follow your safeguarding procedures and child protection policy.
You should also consider whether the young person has committed a criminal offence. If you are unsure about whether a specific behaviour is illegal, you should seek legal advice.
If you think that a young person is at risk, follow your safeguarding procedure and read our safeguarding guidance.
Support
Discussions with a young person might include how to:
- use appropriate privacy settings on their personal accounts
- document doxxing, like taking screenshots
- make a report to a platform, search engine, or bank
Read more about doxxing
Share your experience of doxxing
You can tell us about:
- other terms you might have heard
- conversations you’ve had with young people
- a related platform or app
- another related risk or harm