What is Doxxing?

The act of digitally publicising a person’s private details is called doxxing, or doxing.

Doxxers generally publicise highly personal data such as other people’s home addresses, phone numbers, private email IDs, medical conditions, etc.

Such information is usually obtained through illegal methods such as hacking or theft.

However, publicising private or semi-public content that an individual did not intend to share for public consumption can also result in doxxing and harassment.

Since social media companies operating within the country are bound by India’s IT Rules, submitting a cybercrime complaint is one way to make sure the platform is forced to take action quickly.