What Is Doxxing And Why Is It Dangerous?
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18 April 2024
Doxxing is the act of revealing sensitive information identifying an individual or organisation, like a home address or phone number
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It is a form of online harassment, and its aim is to harm, humiliate, bully or get revenge from an individual
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This act can rob individuals of their online anonymity, subjecting them to various risks in both the digital and physical worlds
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The word 'doxxing' came from the phrase ''dropping documents'' and gradually ''documents'' became ''dox''
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Doxxing involves gathering online clues about individuals, often called ‘breadcrumbs'
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Doxxers collect information through phishing, IP tracking, social media profiles, buying data from brokers, and even interceptig internet traffic
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However, Doxxing has not been defined in the Indian law, nor has it been made a statutory offence in the country
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To protect yourself from doxxing, you should always use a Virtual Private Network, and opt for complex passwords
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You should also periodically review your online presence, adjust privacy settings on social platforms to restrict public visibility
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Further, create separate email accounts for separate purposes, use separate usernames and use multi-factor authentication
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