What to do if you’ve been doxed

Bad actors use doxing to harass and intimidate to extort money, to sell other people’s personal data, or for other malicious reasons. People’s personal information is surprisingly easy to find online, like home addresses, phone numbers, photos, sensitive data like driver’s license or social security numbers, and even the personal information of your family and loved ones.

How do you know if you’ve been doxed?

Since much of your information is considered public record, it’s valuable to learn when someone is giving you unwanted attention, or when large volumes of your data have been leaked. The easiest way to do this is to set up a search engine alert with your name, and if you start being alerted to your own personal data, that’s a signal that your information has been compromised.

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It’s important to stay physically safe

Chances are, your home address is one of the pieces of information that’s been leaked against your will since this is publicly accessible information. If you feel threatened at home, find a trusted friend to stay with, or call the police to help you keep an eye out for any unwanted visitors.

Don’t go it alone: Ensure that you have a friend or trusted person to help you manage day-to-day activities such as watching your children, helping change passwords, reporting violations to websites, and offering general support and motivation.

Lock down your social media accounts

Either delete or set your social media accounts to private, especially Facebook (which might have your contact info) or Instagram (which might have selfies and personal photos). Explore your social media account’s privacy and security settings, learn how to protect your personal data, and watch out for signs that your phone has been hacked.

Change your passwords

One of the most common ways that people find themselves doxed is if their passwords to sensitive financial and email accounts are weak enough to be broken into. It’s important to regularly check on and change your passwords to make them more secure. Use a secure browser like Microsoft Edge, which comes with powerful features such as Password Monitor and a password generator that can keep your accounts secure.

Discover the importance of two-factor authentication. This adds another layer of security to your existing passwords, so nobody can log into your accounts without having physical access to a device that’s always on you—such as your smartphone. Apps like Microsoft Authenticator also use facial recognition technology to ensure that only you can access your accounts.

Report doxing to shut down bad actors

Doxing is against the Terms of Service of every website, so by reporting any accounts that are posting your information, you can work towards having these accounts and posts shut down. You can also take stock of your accounts and delete them if necessary to minimize your online footprint.

Keep a clear mind

Remember that doxing is an action perpetrated against you by malicious sources. Being doxed is a stressful process with effects that can last for weeks or months after the data breach, so be sure to think clearly and work towards ways of managing your stress. For more ways to stay safe online, check out our Privacy and Security tips.