Doxxing (or doxing) is discover (and releasing) someone’s information with the intent of harassment. Usually a celebrity or someone they just don’t like. Doxxing comes from the abbreviation “dox” for documents.
Infamous hacker group Anonymous are recognized as the ones to bring doxxing into more of a mainstream light through their “Op Hiroshima” in 2011. However, doxxing has been around since the 1990s where it was known as “dropping dox”. The outcome of Doxxing has evolved, as has the term itself, with the creation of social media and the popularization of online forums. Both for the discovering and releasing of the information.
People share their daily routines on social media through pictures, posts, and check-ins making it easier to find out their general location, like their city, and go from there.
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Doxxing somebody is not hard. If you want to do the doxxing all by yourself, searching through public state records or even city police records can reveal a lot about an individual, as the government will likely have the most information on the person.
Despite the fact that doxxing has a negative connotation with it, doxxing can be a positive thing. For example, Kenny Glenn was a kid who posted videos of himself abusing his cat, Dusty, on YouTube in 2009. Through a website which was dedicated to finding him (http://www.kenny-glenn.net/), 4Chan, and Anonymous, he was charged with multiple counts of animal abuse. |
The only real way to prevent doxxing is living off the grid. It can happen to anybody of any age anywhere in the world. Anybody who uses a computer or even is just legally registered in their country is at risk of getting doxxed.
There is nothing being done about doxxing as of right now.
Swatting is an extreme result of doxxing. It is when somebody calls one’s local authorities and calls in a bomb threat at the target’s house or poses as the target saying that they just killed someone and are ready to kill more. This, often, is responded by a heavily armed police force and at least one SWAT team, thus the term swatting. This has normally been done to people who stream videogames and celebrities. However, there are also many stories of people getting swatted because they dominate another player in a videogame. Swatters are, on average, 12-18 years of age.
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The FBI has reported cases of swatting as far back as 2002, but the trend took off in 2013 when multiple celebrities were swatted including Ashton Kutcher and Sean “Diddy” Combs.
One of the most infamous swattings was of Jordan “Kootra” Mathewson, a YouTuber and streamer, and one of the founders of “The Creatures”, a YouTube group and company. He was swatted in 2014 while streaming Counter-Strike : Global Offensive from the Creatures’ office in Littleton, Colorado. This was all captured on his facecam with hundreds watching live. A “prankster” had called the Littleton police claiming they had shot two co-workers at the Creatures’ office and was holding more as hostages, and claimed that if officers entered that he would shoot them too. Luckily, nobody was injured. There is the full video of the incident below. |
Swatting, similar to doxxing, is not necessarily preventable. If somebody wants to swat you, they will.
The individuals who are doing the swatting are being arrested and charged.
In the United States, swatting can give you charges of "Conspiracy to retaliate against a witness, victim or informant", "Conspiracy to commit access device fraud and unauthorized access of a protected computer", and an accomplice may be found guilty of "conspiring to obstruct justice".
In Canada you can be charged with uttering death threats, conveying false information with intent to alarm, and public mischief and mischief to property.
I have no personal experience with swatting or doxxing, either doing it or being a victim of it. I, hopefully, will never. I think that the people who do it, in general are pretty nasty. Doxxing can ruin people's lives, with both positive and negative intentions. My viewpoint on it varies from case to case, it's all about the context. Swatting is dangerous for everybody involved. Somehow, there has yet to be a death, despite numerous injuries. Swatters, in my opinion, are cowards. Internet trends are sometimes funny and cool, but this is one that needs to stop before anything bad happens. |
Other people's opinions
I set out and asked a couple of friends about their knowledge and possible experiences with doxxing and swatting.
Person 1
Q: Do you know what doxxing and swatting is?
A:"No"
Q:(After I had explained what it was) Do you have any experience with either, or heard of any incidents?
A:"I don't have experience, but I heard about one thing where a guy called the police, but I don't know..."
Person 2
Q:Do you know what doxxing and swatting is?
A:"Yeah, I know what it is."
Q:How do you know about it?
A:"Because I have heard about it through various YouTubers."
Q:Do you have any experience with either, or heard of any specific incidents?
A:"Many YouTubers hae gotten doxxed by displeased fans."
Person 3
Q:Do you know about doxxing and swatting?
A:"No... Or... Swatting? I know what swatting is."
Q:Okay, what about doxxing?
A:"Nope."
Q:(I explained what doxxing was) Have you had a personal experience with either, or have heard of specific incident?
A:"No experience. I cannot recall an incident, either."
From our miniature sample size, doxxing is not a well-known concept. However, with swatting being in the news and a highly discussed topic online, many people seem to be aware of what it is.
Sources cited:
Sheets, Connor Adam. "Anonymous's Operation Hiroshima: Inside the Doxing Coup the Media Ignored (VIDEO)." International Business Times. N.p., 11 Mar. 2013. Web. 04 Jan. 2017.
Honan, Mat. "What Is Doxing?" Wired. Conde Nast, 03 June 2014. Web. 04 Jan. 2017.
Goldstein, Sasha. "Suburban Denver ‘swatting’ Incident Caught on Gamer’s Camera." NY Daily News. N.p., 28 Aug. 2014. Web. 04 Jan. 2017.
"Individual Pleads Guilty in Swatting Conspiracy Case." FBI. FBI, 21 Apr. 2011. Web. 04 Jan. 2017.
"Last Defendant Sentenced in Swatting Conspiracy." FBI. FBI, 21 Apr. 2011. Web. 04 Jan. 2017.
Therese, Kehler. "'Swatting' Leads to 60 Charges against Ottawa Boy."Www.ottawacitizen.com. N.p., 20 May 2014. Web. 04 Jan. 2017.
"KENNY CHRISTOPHER GLENN - CAT ABUSER, Lawton, Oklahoma)." KENNY CHRISTOPHER GLENN - CAT ABUSER, Lawton, Oklahoma). N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Jan. 2017.
"The New Phenomenon of Swatting." FBI. FBI, 04 Feb. 2008. Web. 04 Jan. 2017.
Sheets, Connor Adam. "Anonymous's Operation Hiroshima: Inside the Doxing Coup the Media Ignored (VIDEO)." International Business Times. N.p., 11 Mar. 2013. Web. 04 Jan. 2017.
Honan, Mat. "What Is Doxing?" Wired. Conde Nast, 03 June 2014. Web. 04 Jan. 2017.
Goldstein, Sasha. "Suburban Denver ‘swatting’ Incident Caught on Gamer’s Camera." NY Daily News. N.p., 28 Aug. 2014. Web. 04 Jan. 2017.
"Individual Pleads Guilty in Swatting Conspiracy Case." FBI. FBI, 21 Apr. 2011. Web. 04 Jan. 2017.
"Last Defendant Sentenced in Swatting Conspiracy." FBI. FBI, 21 Apr. 2011. Web. 04 Jan. 2017.
Therese, Kehler. "'Swatting' Leads to 60 Charges against Ottawa Boy."Www.ottawacitizen.com. N.p., 20 May 2014. Web. 04 Jan. 2017.
"KENNY CHRISTOPHER GLENN - CAT ABUSER, Lawton, Oklahoma)." KENNY CHRISTOPHER GLENN - CAT ABUSER, Lawton, Oklahoma). N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Jan. 2017.
"The New Phenomenon of Swatting." FBI. FBI, 04 Feb. 2008. Web. 04 Jan. 2017.