How to protect yourself from 'Doxxing' that threatens to stalk online and disclose personal information
For those who work on the basis of various political ideas, the Internet, accessible to everyone, has become an important place to express their opinions to the whole world. However, the Internet is full of information, and there are malicious people who collect and threaten personal information. Crimeth Inc , an activist network, explains 'Doxxing', which is stalked and harassed based on personal information on the Internet.
CrimethInc .: Doxcare: Prevention and Aftercare for Those Targeted by Doxxing and Political Harassment
◆ What is Doxxing?
According to Crimeth Inc, Doxxing is the disclosure of personal information about people with whom political ideas conflict with the intention of revealing or intimidating. Doxxing can discourage a target's behavior, discourage its ideas and values, hunt down physically and mentally, and cause financial damage.
In addition to simply disclosing personal information, 'this person has a far right idea' and 'this person is an activist of ANTIFA' without permission from the community to which he belongs, the place he always attends, and his usual activities. It may be labeled as '' and get involved in political disputes without any grounds. For Doxxing people, it doesn't matter if the information is correct or not, it only needs to be able to harass them online from a few pieces of information.
◆ Great improvement with a few preventive measures
One of the basic measures to protect yourself from Doxxing is to be aware of leaving no trace of information on the net. Of course, the best way to prevent anyone from finding information about you is to keep it private, but some people can't get rid of it online for a variety of reasons, including work and home. For example, having a social media account can help you communicate with different people across national borders.
When using multiple accounts properly, it is important to know whether each account is public or private. Therefore, it is important to be able to control the information on the Internet.
It's also important to keep yourself organized and delete unused accounts. Many people have accounts on multiple social media such as Google, Twitter, and Facebook, but few people actually make full use of all of those accounts. Since Doxing collects personal information from various sources, it is important to keep the following points in mind and not to associate with each other in order to reduce the damage caused by Doxing, Crimeth Inc said.
・ Are you using a part of your real name or birthday for the IDs of multiple accounts?
・ Are you using the same email address and password for multiple accounts?
・ What comes out when I search for my real name on social media?
・ Are you posting your face photo on social media?
・ Are you uploading the same image with multiple accounts?
・ Are you posting your political ideas online?
・ Like an account that sends radical content! Are you not doing it?
・ Are you connected with the same account as a colleague, family member, or acquaintance of an activist?
・ How open are you with your family and relatives?
・ How do you set the line between public and private?
・ Does the company you work for allow you to open up political ideas?
The following methods can be considered as a method of controlling your personal information so that it will not be scattered on the Internet.
・ Search and understand how much information you have on the Internet on sites such as Onerep. If you can afford it, use the service to have it deleted.
· Know on which platform you are creating an account using Namechk, which allows you to check if a particular username is available.
・ Once you have a list of accounts, delete unnecessary accounts using the site 'justdelete.me ' that will tell you the link to delete the account from the web service and the difficulty level.
-Check if the ID and password have been leaked at 'Haveibeenpwned.com' where you can check for leaks of user data.
You'll also be asked to check your profile on your social media account to remove any images that contain personally identifiable information such as yourself, your pet, your car, tattoos, or anything else that might be directly related to you. Furthermore, it is effective not only to delete your personal information, but also to register inaccurate information. For example, Crimeth Inc says it's a good idea to lie to your birthday, hometown, or school.
◆ If you are damaged by Doxxing
If you encounter Doxxing, you tend to announce it immediately to warn you or delete all your accounts. However, while these actions are effective when the surroundings defend them, they may anoint the fire if they are attacked by an unspecified number of people and become isolated and unsupported. Also, when speaking in public, showing off violence, weapons for self-defense, or exaggerating your ferocity can also put you in a more disadvantageous situation.
Talking to someone who harasses you directly or indirectly does not improve the problem. Make a positive statement asserting your ethics and beliefs, explaining how your identity and ideals are targeted, 'harassment is intended to atrophy you, but you lose. No, because there is no reason to hide your political ideas, 'Crimeth Inc said.
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