doxxing

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/ˈdɑːksɪŋ/
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The nonconsensual exposure of personal information online, especially as a tactic of harassment, intimidation, revenge, or public shaming.
Practice using doxxing in conversation until it feels natural

Examples

  • The policy bans harassment, threats, and doxxing.
  • Platform moderators suspended accounts that were doxxing users.
  • Victims of doxxing may face unwanted calls, stalking, or physical danger.
  • The school treated the spreadsheet of students' addresses as doxxing.
  • The group was doxxing critics by posting their phone numbers.

Similar words

exposure
doxx
out
privacy breach
doxing
dox
expose
data leak
unmask
unmasking

Meanings

Revealing private information online

noun
technology
informal
The act of finding or publishing someone's private or identifying information online without consent, usually to expose, shame, threaten, or harass them.

Usage

Use doxxing for the harmful disclosure itself, especially when names, addresses, phone numbers, workplaces, or other identifying details are posted without permission.

Examples

  • The forum removed the post because it contained doxxing.
  • Journalists covering extremist groups often prepare for threats and doxxing.
  • The school treated the spreadsheet of students' addresses as doxxing.
  • Her real name and workplace were shared in a wave of doxxing.
  • The policy bans harassment, threats, and doxxing.
  • Victims of doxxing may face unwanted calls, stalking, or physical danger.

Common mistakes

The word is stretched too broadly for any leak or public criticism.
IncorrectCorrect
The stolen company password was doxxing. Publishing employees' home addresses from the stolen files was doxxing.
The review criticized her article, so it was doxxing. The post listed her private address, so it was doxxing.
The report included public court records, which is always doxxing. The report became doxxing when it highlighted private contact details to invite harassment.

Similar words

doxing
outing
unmasking
exposure
data leak
privacy breach

Exposing someone's private details

verb
technology
informal
Present-participle use of dox or doxx, meaning to identify someone or publish their private details online without consent.

Usage

Use doxxing when the action is in progress or functions like a gerund, and use doxed or doxxed for the completed action.

Examples

  • The group was doxxing critics by posting their phone numbers.
  • Platform moderators suspended accounts that were doxxing users.
  • She accused the channel of doxxing a witness in the case.
  • The campaign warned volunteers not to retaliate by doxxing opponents.
  • Police investigated whether the suspect had been doxxing local officials.
  • Posting a home address to scare someone is doxxing them, even if the address appears in a public record.

Common mistakes

The auxiliary verb is sometimes dropped, and the word is confused with ordinary documentation.
IncorrectCorrect
The account doxxing the witness last night. The account doxxed the witness last night.
They doxxing the activist right now. They are doxxing the activist right now.
The team is doxxing the software bug. The team is documenting the software bug.

Similar words

dox
doxx
expose
unmask
out
leak

Usage

Use doxxing for exposure of personal information, not for every data breach, insult, investigation, or criticism of a public action.

Common mistakes

Calling any leak doxxing is too broad, since the word normally involves personal identifying information exposed without consent.

Etymology

From hacker and internet slang dox or docs, short for documents, in phrases such as dropping docs for revealing someone's identifying information.

FAQ

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