TL;DR: Doxxing (also spelled doxing) is publishing someone's private information, such as a home address, phone number or workplace, so that others can harass or threaten them. If it happens, save evidence, report the posts to the platform, lock down your accounts, tell people you trust and consider a police report if there are threats. Google lets you request removal of results that expose contact details or are shared maliciously, and cutting your data-broker exposure makes repeat doxxing harder.
Doxxing turns ordinary information into a weapon. Any single detail may be harmless, but a name, a street, a workplace and a phone number posted together, with a call to act, can make a person feel unsafe in their own home.
What doxxing is
Binary Defense describes doxxing as releasing a victim's information without consent, with malicious intent. A dox typically contains a full name, physical address, phone number, email address, family members and social profiles, and sometimes a Social Security number. TechRadar defines it as a third party revealing your personal information publicly, for example on social media, forums or email chains.
How doxxers find information
- People-search and data broker sites that publish addresses, relatives and numbers. See how data brokers actually get your data.
- Photos with location data, which can reveal a home address; see how geotagged photos reveal your address.
- Domain registration records, covered in domain registration privacy and WHOIS.
- Reused usernames that link accounts, explained in username search.
- Old breaches and leaks that expose emails, passwords and phone numbers.
The first 24 hours
- Save evidence. Screenshot the posts with the address bar and date visible, and copy the URLs.
- Report the content to the platform or host, using its harassment or private-information policy.
- Lock down your accounts. Change passwords, turn on two-step verification and sign out of unknown devices. If you think a phone or account was compromised, see signs your phone is hacked.
- Tell people you trust, such as family, your employer or building management, so nobody hands out more details.
- Involve the police if there are threats, stalking or an immediate safety risk.
- Do not retaliate. Posting someone else's details in return makes things worse and can expose you legally.
If you are a journalist, activist or human rights defender, the free Digital Security Helpline run by Access Now offers support with doxxing and account security.
Get it out of Google
Google's help page says you can ask it to remove search results that show your address, phone number or email, confidential government ID numbers, bank account or credit card numbers, images of a signature or ID document, medical records or login credentials. It may also consider removal of such details, and others, when they are being shared maliciously, which is doxxing. Removing a search result does not delete the page itself, so also contact the site that hosts it. The steps are in our guide to removing yourself from Google.
Make repeat doxxing harder
- Remove your details from data brokers: see who sells your data and how to stop it and how to delete your personal information from the internet.
- Tighten privacy settings on social accounts and switch off location tags on photos.
- Use a separate email and phone number for public listings, forms and marketplaces.
- Check what a stranger could already find about you, then close the gaps one by one.
FAQs
What does doxxing mean?
Doxxing, also spelled doxing, means publishing a person's private information, such as their home address, phone number, workplace or family details, without consent, usually to harass or intimidate them.
Is doxxing illegal?
Laws vary by country and state. Publishing private details to harass or threaten someone can fall under harassment, stalking, threat or privacy laws, and some places have specific doxxing rules. Report threats to the police and ask a lawyer about your local law.
How do I remove doxxing content from Google?
Use Google's request to remove personally identifiable information, which covers contact details and other sensitive data, and mark it as shared maliciously if it is being used to harass you. Also contact the site hosting the page.
What should I do if my home address was posted online?
Save evidence, report the post to the platform, tell people you trust, and involve the police if there are threats. Consider whether you need extra safety measures while the content is removed.
How is doxxing different from stalking or harassment?
Doxxing is the publication of private information. It is often used to enable harassment or stalking, but the posting itself is the doxxing. Stalking and harassment describe the unwanted behaviour that follows.
How can I reduce the chance of being doxxed?
Remove your details from data brokers, tighten privacy settings, avoid posting location tags and use separate contact details for public listings. Check what strangers can already find about you.
Doxxers start with what is already public, so see what strangers can find about you with the free digital footprint checker.
Curious what's already out there? Scan My Shadow checks a phone number and email across 1,500+ sources and sends a clear report — no guesswork, just facts. Start your scan.
Sources
- Google Search Help: Remove personally identifiable info or doxxing content from Google Search
- TechRadar: You can finally remove your phone number and email address from Google Search
- Binary Defense: Google extends policy for doxxing victims
- Access Now: Digital Security Helpline