Doxing: What the f*ck do you think you're doing?

Let me be blunt and to the point.

doxing (n)
search for and publish private or identifying information about (a particular individual) on the internet, typically with malicious intent.

Over and over again, I have run across entries in profiles describing personal experience about getting into trouble for revealing personal information and/or RL pictures. Who can you trust? There may only be one bad apple in the barrel but that's enough to get up your defenses. Once bitten, twice shy.

Just today, I read this in the profile of an acquaintance:

I won't give away anything about my RL and will refuse any requests for RL contact....did that once and it got me into so much trouble so never again.

In my article Anonymity and Total Freedom, I talk about the unique circumstances in the virtual world of Second Life, having a new identity completely divorced from one's real life with the freedom to say or do anything one wants without fear of criticism or condemnation. This is recognizing the many restrictions we all face in RL from religion, morality, peer group pressures, social norms, etc.

Why then would anybody want to spoil that? Why would anybody want to deliberately reveal an individual to their real life, so they got into trouble? What purpose is served? What's the benefit? Does the doxer get a hundred bucks? Do they a gold star beside their name? Does the mayor give them the keys to the city?

I've asked this question over the years through Google searches and turned up the following. The doxer feels a sense of superiority over the person they're outing. The doxer feels morally justified in revealing that the individual in question is somehow a bad person.

How violated does the person outed feel?

Let me return to sense of superiority and morally justified. It's been said that weak people feel better about themselves by putting others down. Outing somebody is a way of punching down, hurting somebody in a supposedly inferior position. In my article Aggressive Males and the Stupidity of Inexperience, I discuss the phenomenon of men who seem to have little or no people skills, who seem incapable of interacting with people in a normal, polite, and respectful fashion. I can't help feeling that in RL, they may get by, considered odd by others, but here in SL with the freedom to say or do anything one wants without fear of criticism or condemnation, this odd behavior is now magnified.

"You can easily judge the character of a man by
how he treats those who can do nothing for him."
—Malcolm S. Forbes

Self-Confidence: I Know I’m Good. I don’t think I’m good, I know I’m good. That may sound conceited, but I know myself, know my worth, and feel no need to put others down to feel better. However, I recognize that some men don't feel good about themselves, and they may lash out against others. At first meeting, it's not always obvious who you're dealing with, but I certainly can see why people become defensive. Who wants to have their Second Life and their Real Life jeopardized by some insecure, immature "boy"?

Final Word
Dear Doxer: What the f*ck do you think you're doing? I don't think it's funny. I don't think it's justified. Deliberately hurting somebody is the act of a coward. Over the years, I've occasionally run into people who may have inadvertently left themselves exposed, mistakenly revealing information they didn't intend to, and I've made suggestions for tightening up their own security. Personally, I have no real desire to know somebody's personal details. Obviously, in the course of any interaction, some RL information may be revealed but I have no intention of acting on such information any more than I would out somebody in RL. There's no benefit for me.

I'm sorry there are bad apples in the world. However, I remain convinced that the vast majority of people are good people. They are mature, experienced, and well-grounded. They keep secrets. They are decent. And they don't abuse trust.


References

Wikipedia: Doxing
Doxing or doxxing is the act of publicly revealing previously private personal information about an individual or organization, usually via the Internet. Methods employed to acquire such information include searching publicly available databases and social media websites (like Facebook), hacking, social engineering and, through websites such as Grabify, a site specialized in revealing IP addresses through a fake link. Doxing may be carried out for reasons such as online shaming, extortion, and vigilante aid to law enforcement. It also may be associated with hacktivism.

A Conscious Rethink: 13 Reasons Why People Put Others Down (+ How To Deal With Them)
Some people like to have a little dig at others whenever they can. They belittle them, they make fun of them, and they put them down. If you are on the receiving end of this type of behavior, it can really hurt your feelings. So, you may be wondering, why do they do it? What makes people put others down?

2022-05-22