Information Technology Dealing with Doxing

1. Request that false or misleading statements be taken down

If an individual or organization has doxed you and included false or misleading statements about you on their website, social media accounts, or elsewhere, and these statements are causing you harm, consider sending a written request to the individual or organization to remove or correct the statements. In such a communication it is important that you: (1) identify yourself, (2) identify the statements that are false or misleading, (3) explain why the statements are false or misleading, and (4) describe how the statements are harming you.

But carefully consider your options. Each situation is different and you will need to make judgments about what may be helpful or hurtful. For instance, it could be counterproductive to engage directly with a social media account that is targeting you—it rarely makes sense to “feed the trolls.” It may be better to report directly to the social media platform or web hosting service (see below) if the site maintains community standards and those standards have been violated.

2. Request that abusive, harassing, or threatening posts be taken down

If a user account has targeted/doxed you on social media, you may submit a takedown request to the platform, in accordance with the platform’s rules and requirements. For example, on YouTube, you can click the “Report” button underneath the frame on each video’s webpage. To reveal the “Report” button, click the icon with three dots on it, just under the bottom right-hand corner of the video.

If the content is posted on a website operated by the individual(s) who targeted/doxed you (rather than on Instagram or a similar platform), you may still be able to request that it be taken down by contacting the web hosting service. Many companies that provide such services have their own community standards/acceptable use policies and allow visitors to report abuse. For example, see GoDaddy: Universal Terms of Service (“General Rules of Conduct”), Report Abuse.

You can find out which platform hosts a website by entering its URL into this database.

3. Document what’s happening

If you are experiencing online abuse, harassment, or threats related to being targeted/doxed, consider taking steps to preserve evidence in a way that does not force you to re-read upsetting content. (Perhaps ask a friend or relative to assist.)

• Save all emails, voicemails, or text messages that you receive.
• Take screenshots or photos of comments on social media; such comments can be deleted, so screenshots are often useful to help document them.

4. Reporting doxing incidents

You may report doxing incidents, whether they originate from inside or outside of the campus community, via Ethicspoint, one of the College’s online incident reporting portals. (Click “Make a Report,” and select “Other” to report your concern). Once a report is received, it will be managed by the appropriate College personnel (such as Student Conduct, IT, or Campus Safety personnel), who will reach out to you to coordinate next steps.

Please be aware that when doxing originates from outside of the College community, the conduct very likely falls outside of the College’s jurisdiction and the College’s options to address the conduct are therefore limited; however, we are here to support you as much as possible and connect you with available resources, including local law enforcement.

Doxing involving Sexual Misconduct and/or Discriminatory Harassment 

Targeting individuals on the basis of protected identity may constitute a violation of the College’s community standards, the Interim Title IX Policy, and/or the Nondiscrimination and Harassment Policy. To make a report of identity-based harm, please use the identity-based harm reporting form and/or contact the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX at crtixoffice@amherst.edu.

5. Obtain legal advice

Federal and State laws provide significant legal protections with respect to free speech and expression. But those protections are not absolute. For example, the First Amendment does not protect obscenity, defamation, fraud, incitement, or speech integral to criminal conduct.

Although free speech principles may present legal barriers to lawsuits (and criminal prosecutions) based on an individual’s speech, you may wish to explore issuing a cease and desist letter and whether to pursue a legal complaint for online harassment related to targeting/doxing. In doing so, be sure to explore with a lawyer the benefits and risks of pursuing a legal claim, the cost of doing so, and the barriers to a successful claim.

Amherst College and its Office of the General Counsel cannot, as a general matter, provide legal advice or representation to individual members of the College community about personal matters, but a Google search can direct you to websites where you can find legal resources, including information to assist with pro bono cases.

6. Protect yourself from further doxing

Delist from College Directories

If you are concerned that online harassers can find you on campus or use your Amherst email or phone number to direct harmful communications to you, you may request that some or all of your personal information be removed from College directories. Instructions for making this request, including requesting nondisclosure of information designated as “directory information” under the Federal Education Record Privacy Act (FERPA) are available on our Campus Directory help page.

Adjust your Social Media Account Settings 

• Consider temporarily deactivating your social media profiles or keep your profiles, usernames, and handles private.
  • How to temporarily deactivate your Instagram account
  • How to temporarily deactivate your Facebook account
  • How to deactivate your X account (Note that on X, accounts are permanently deleted after 30 days of deactivation if not accessed during that time.)
  • How to temporarily deactivate your TikTok account
• Avoid using your full name, address, place of work/school, contact information, and specific locations in your profile and posts. 
• Make your posts visible only to people you know.
• Avoid sharing sensitive personal information online.
• Block or mute accounts as needed.
• If your social media account must be public (such as a student organization), consider temporarily limiting or turning off comments.

Reduce your online footprint

• Close unused accounts and ask for your information to be deleted.
• Search for yourself online to see what personal information is in search results and on websites. When possible, request corrections or deletions. 
• Take steps to remove your personal data from public data broker websites. Numerous commercial services can assist with this.

Be careful with public networks

If you must use public Wi-Fi ( such as in coffee shops, travel hubs like airports and other locations, hotels, and any location where you are unsure about the security of the wifi):

• Use a virtual private network (VPN).
• Ensure you’re logging into a legitimate wireless network, not an evil twin attack. 
• Watch out for shoulder surfers.
• Do not access sensitive accounts such as banking accounts.
• Lock your computer or phone whenever you aren’t using it. The best way to compromise a computer is to grab it while a user is logged in.

Secure your login and domain information

Tips from Amherst College IT