Doxxing

Doxxing is the act of publishing someone's private personal information without their consent, typically to intimidate them or to enable others to harass or harm them. The name comes from "dropping docs," meaning releasing documents or details about a person.

What it means

Doxxing turns private data into a weapon. The information might be a home address, phone number, workplace, real name behind a pseudonym, or financial details. What makes it doxxing rather than ordinary sharing is the lack of consent and the harmful purpose. It frequently accompanies harassment campaigns, where exposing someone's real-world details is used to make online conflict spill into their offline life.

Real-world examples

• Posting another member's home address after an argument.
• Revealing the real name and employer of an anonymous user to pressure them.
• Sharing screenshots of someone's private contact details to a hostile group.

Why it matters

Doxxing can escalate an online dispute into real-world danger, including stalking, swatting, and physical threats. Because the harm can be severe and immediate, most platforms treat it as a high-priority violation and act quickly. Detecting it overlaps with recognizing personally identifiable information, but the key signal is context: the same address is benign on a business listing and dangerous when posted to expose and target a specific person.