Newsweek, Bitcoin and the ethics of 'doxxing'

Controversial Newsweek story ignites online conversation on the ethics of revealing someone's identity who wishes to remain anonymous.

Storified by AJAMStream· Fri, Mar 07 2014 15:39:23

Nice work doxing the guy. 400m worth of bitcoin and you post pictures of his house? I hope you warned him this story was coming.reddit.com

But this would still be a big story without totally doxing this guy. There was definitely a way to write this story that would at least leave him with some modicum of privacy.reddit.com

Seriously, congrats to @Newsweek on doxxing an elderly Japanese man near LA.Prof. Jeff Jarvis

Gavin Andresen, Bitcoin's chief developer, also tweeted that the article amounted to a doxxing of Nakamoto:

I'm disappointed Newsweek decided to dox the Nakamoto family, and regret talking to Leah.Gavin Andresen

Some condemned what they viewed as a double-standard on doxxing, wherein the practice is acceptable for professional journalists but wrong for anyone else:

So if doxxing = revealing private info about someone, how is Newsweek's story not doxxing? Because it's "professional journalism?"Mathew Ingram

They did dox him. But doxxing people is apparently fine if you are a "journalist".the_raptor

A few journalists criticized the use of the term doxxing to describe the report, arguing that its contents were newsworthy.

Doxxing is the new name for reporting.Farhad Manjoo

I understand being against doxxing in general, but is there an argument that bitcoin's creator's identity isn't newsworthy? I don't get it.Anil Dash

Others discussed the effect that the popularization of the "doxxing" concept could have on journalism in the public interest.

@mathewi @abeaujon isn't the dox distinction more about public interest? i feel like this is well within public domain. disagree?Slade Sohmer

@mattbuchanan @fmanjoo + the idea that anonymity is inherently good and worth protecting. That's the worst thing about 'doxxing's" rise.Adrian Chen

@AdrianChen @mattbuchanan @fmanjoo isn’t that sort of a classic tension in journalism, too, though? private v. public figuresSergio Hernandez

@cerealcommas @mattbuchanan @fmanjoo no, it creates a new class: "public anonymous people" that should be protected.Adrian Chen

Some said the backlash to the Newsweek story was internet subcultures trying to enforce their rules and expectations beyond the boundaries of their forums.

Well, yeah, sorry Reddit's rules don't apply to the real world in that regard, they never really have. Oll_is_Well

@SladeHV @mathewi @abeaujon Yes, *of course* there's a public interest. You think journalism must abide by some Reddit-subculture rule?Jason Pontin

The author of the article, Leah Goodman, engaged directly with critics about whether her story constituted doxxing:

@truth_eater Do you feel it was a good idea to out the personal information of an individual connected to an embattled tech? #bitcoinEntropy Extropy

@EntropyExtropy Good question. Pictures and info people are asking about (including residence and car) already public. His name too.#BitcoinLeah McGrath Goodman

@truth_eater @Newsweek Serious question: did you even consider that you might have just gotten an innocent man murdered? #lies #idiotsSlammingAtom

@SlammingAtom @Newsweek This man invented something that shaped our world. Should all inventors now fear murder? #BitcoinLeah McGrath Goodman

What do you think of the concept of doxxing? What does its rise in popularity mean for journalism?