Due to the difficulty of policing people’s behavior on the Internet, it has become the norm to defer to a type of mob rule.
When someone says something perceived as problematic online, the go-to move is for the masses to gang up on that person to inform him or her that they disagree. Different tactics have been created to administer justice online, and one of the most prevalent and frightening methods is doxing.
Doxing is a term for the research and publication of a person’s personal information via the internet. In the past several months, Doxing has become a go-to tool for internet vigilantes to dole out their own forms of cyber justice. Doxing occurs in different forms, from actual hacking work done to reveal information, to simpler in-depth research of a person’s Internet footprint.
Those who participate in doxing do not see the ramifications of their actions. In their efforts to police the Internet, they are actually just creating a harsh climate where people fear disproportionate retaliation for their actions.
A single negative tweet has minor ramifications, but doxing can turn something minor into an exaggerated problem.
Some of the more notable events in doxing include an occurrence in 2013 where a Russian hacker group claimed to have published financial records of many notable Americans, including First Lady Michelle Obama and rapper Jay-Z. In the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings, users of the news aggregator and forum Reddit doxed several suspects of the bombing, all of whom were found to be innocent.
Doxing is a matter of questionable legality. Some information is of public record, such as a person’s address or phone number. This information is legal to release, but is ethically unclear. In contrast, the broadcasting of information such as financial records or social security information is a felony.
Doxing is not an offense perpetrated upon only the notable and powerful. Often, the victims of doxing are regular people who happen to use social media. These tactics are used by all different groups, for any myriad of reasons.
In some cases, the reasoning may seem justifiable, such as publicly shaming people for racism, but in some cases it seems to be nothing more than shaming people for having a dissenting opinion.
No matter how justified the doxing of another Internet citizen may seem, it should not be done. The release of a person’s personal information can often lead to criminal acts, such as harassment and stalking. Due to the mob mentality that often rears its head on the Internet, the release of personal information can often turn into something much uglier.
A single person who has been targeted may find him or herself the victim of numerous personal attacks that they are completely unprepared.
Corey Krawjewski is a Staff Writer for the Bona Venture. His email is krajewcj11@bonaventure.edu
