This post was contributed by a community member.

Have you ever seen your personal information on a public forum? Have you even seen your personal information “grayed out”? If you have, know that it is not only cowardly, but also illegal. There is a name for it: doxing.



According to Wikipedia:



Doxing (spelling variant Doxxing) is an abbreviation of document tracing, the Internet-based practice of researching and publishing personally identifiable information about an individual. The methods employed in pursuit of this information range from searching publicly available databases and social media websites like Facebook to hacking and social engineering. It is closely related to cyber-vigilantism, hacktivism, and cyber-bullying.

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Also keep this in mind: doxing violates the terms of service of most legitimate online news / information / opinion sites.



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“Why Doxing Is Always Illegal”

http://theothermccain.com/2012/11/19/update-walker-v-kimberlin-et-al-also-why-doxing-is-always-illeg...



Excerpt:



Doxing is always illegal, whether it is done against a federal employee, a state employee, or a regular person. There are federal and state laws that specifically address doxing government employees. With regular citizens, doxing falls under various state criminal laws, such as stalking, cyberstalking, harassment, threats, and other such laws, depending on the state.



“Doxing and the Barrett Brown Indictment” http://subliminalridge.blogspot.com/2012/10/doxing-and-barrett-brown-indictment.html



Excerpt:



The indictment does not state that the information was ever found or ever posted; it does not need to be.



The Illegal Activity of “Doxing”

http://theconservativetreehouse.com/2012/11/28/the-illegal-activity-of-doxing-revealing-documents-or...



Excerpts:



(D)ue to new federal laws that apply to internet cyber-stalking, the broader points now apply in multiple internet forums and social media sites (ours included).



Revealing a “name” per se’ may, or may not be considered “Doxing” depending on the level of anticipated anonymity. However, in this law, the term “restricted personal information” means, “with respect to an individual, the Social Security number, the home address, home phone number, mobile phone number, personal email, or home fax number of, and identifiable to, that individual.” This is an important distinction to remember.



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Even if your personal information has been “grayed out,” it may still be considered a threat by the law enforcement authorities.



If you feel you have been the victim of doxing or threatened doxing, please report the incident, including screenshots, to the local police.



And as Lt Columbo always says: Just one more thing ... “Bullies are cowards.” Always push back.



