6 minute read
How to dox yourself on the internet
HOW TO DOX YOURSELF ON THE INTERNET by Kristen Kozinski and Neena Kapur
No one wants their home address on the internet. That Doxxing itself relies on open-source data as well as is personal information we typically only give out to data that may be circulating in spaces like the dark friends, family and maybe our favorite online stores. web. While we cannot control all the information about Yet, for many of us, that information is available and ourselves on the internet, we can take steps to make accessible to anyone with an internet connection. And data more difficult to find. When our team begins increasingly for journalists, public figures and activists, looking into the personal information that is available this kind of information is dug up and posted to online online for a colleague, we think like doxxers and use forums as a form of harassment, or doxxing. some of the same readily available online resources Doxxing (also sometimes called “doxing”) is a lowlevel tactic with a high-impact outcome: it often does Search engines: This is where we start. A search with not require much time or many resources, but it can a journalist’s name and the words, “phone number” or cause significant damage to the person targeted. Once “address” might bring up a people-search site or the sensitive information — such as home address, phone journalist’s social media accounts. Targeted searches number, names of family members or email addresses can lead to sites that reveal a lot of information about — about a targeted individual is posted to public someone and their behavior online. forums, it can be used by others for further targeting. The tactic is typically used to intimidate and silence, to searches on search engines often lead to data broker prove a point or to discredit someone’s work. In 2019, or people-search sites, which provide holistic profiles a far-right group that disagreed with news coverage of individuals and package sensitive information into posted the personal information for three dozen a single report that is usually available for free or for journalists from news organizations in the United a minimal cost. These sites collect the personal and States, including The New York Times, on a site run by behavioral information of consumers from public the group. After Christine Blasey Ford testified before records, open-source information and other data the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2018, her personal brokers, and sell that information to other companies phone number, home address and more were posted and individuals. on Twitter and she soon started receiving death threats and harassment. During the Hong Kong protests Social media: A doxxer might scroll through a in 2019, doxxing was a tactic used by both sides to journalist’s social media sites to gather more intimate expose personal information of protestors, police details about their life, such as insights into their officers, journalists and social workers. relationships, habits, personal photos, emotional state, These attacks demonstrate that people dox — and are team began exploring the numerous ways personal to understand how this information surfaces and how that doxxers may use to surface personal information: Data broker and people-search sites: Targeted and their likes and dislikes. doxxed — for a variety of reasons. But regardless of the While doxxers use these tools to do harm, journalists motive, an attack can be dangerous. can use them to control the amount of personal information that is available online. From locking down With that in mind, it is particularly important to social media profiles to opting out of major data broker take proactive digital security measures. Protecting websites, there are concrete mitigation strategies that personal information is more than just securing data, anyone with an internet connection can do. It just takes it guards against further digital attacks or event the a little time. It’s impossible to control all the personal possibility of physical harm. information that is out there, but we can take steps to make it more difficult to find. If a doxxer can’t find a Think like a doxxer journalist’s information in a few hours, then that may In 2017, the New York Times Information Security target for doxxing. information spreads through the internet. We wanted You can do it, too discourage them from pursuing the journalist as a to clean up an online footprint — which includes To help our Times colleagues think like doxxers, we everything from personal information like phone developed a formal program that consists of a series numbers, to what you like and who you follow on social of repeatable steps that can be taken to clean up an media — in order to decrease the threat and impact of online footprint. Our goal with this program is to doxxing. empower people to control the information they
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share, and to provide them with tools and resources to have a better awareness around the information they intentionally and unintentionally share online.
We are now publicly releasing the content of this program for anyone to access. We think it is important for freelancers, activists, other newsrooms or people who want to take control of their own security online. Whether you run through this process once or twice a year, or take these steps before publishing an article that may cause a stir on social media, incorporating this digital cleaning practice should be a part of general online hygiene. Of course, we can’t completely erase ourselves from the internet, but we can make it harder for people with ill intent to find our personal information.
The resources we are publishing are for anyone to use and share. The materials can be accessed here https:// rb.gy/ne5p6cvv and include:
Doxxing Guide: This guide details steps that you can walk through on your own or with a group to begin cleaning up your online footprint. It includes a list of data broker websites that offer opt-out options, targeted techniques for search engines and tips for locking down your social media accounts.
Social Media Security and Privacy Checklist:
This guide includes checklists of recommended security and privacy settings for several popular social media websites that will ensure your profiles are locked down and that you’re only sharing information that you’re comfortable sharing.
Doxxing Curriculum Outline: A high-level overview of the curriculum we used when running doxxing workshops at The New York Times. If you’d like to bring a version of this program to your newsroom or organization, or to a group you work with, this resource will help you build out a formal training session.
We hope you find these resources helpful. Today’s information security threats against journalists are dynamic and ever-evolving, which means that the best way to improve the safety and security of journalists today is to share and collaborate on best practices and resources.
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