Why is it so hard not to dox yourself?
How to maintain privacy online
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I’ve been thinking about internet privacy lately. Particularly, about what someone could deduce about my life from my online presence.
It’s probably not great that you can find certain information about me easily, but I’ve always thought to myself, “If I’m okay with this in a Wikipedia article one day, I’m okay with it being out there.” I’m not exactly a subtle person. (Look, I’ve tried. I just like to yap1 too much). Plus, certain things are public record that could be found whether or not you share it. But I’ve been finding it so difficult lately not to accidentally post information I probably shouldn’t.
I think about Luigi Mangione, and how easily the internet found personal details out about him from his Reddit account and other social profiles. As I said – perhaps tongue-in-cheek – in that newsletter, “Social media stalking is the next wave of citizen journalism.”
While you and I probably aren’t at immediate risk of stalking, there are steps we could both be taking to maintain our privacy. Plus, some people simply want to remain anonymous online because that’s a benefit of being online, for better or for worse.
So, what kind of information shouldn’t you reveal if you want to be smart about your digital presence? Aren’t I glad you (didn’t) ask.
What is doxxing?
Doxxing is when someone “publicly identif[ies] or publish[es] private information about (someone) especially as a form of punishment or revenge,” according to Merriam-Webster. This can be leaked IP addresses, personal records, and more. This can lead to invasion of privacy by strangers or stalkers, and in extreme cases, physical harassment or even swatting, which “involves calling 9-1-1 and faking an emergency that draws a response from law enforcement—usually a SWAT team,” according to the FBI’s website.
Writer Harry Bruinius described doxxing as a “term used for the troll harassment technique of finding and then posting a user's sensitive personal information, including addresses, phone numbers, and even Social Security numbers.” Doxxing yourself is a bit different. It simply means accidentally revealing said personal information to the internet yourself, which could then be taken advantage of.
What can I do to avoid doxxing myself?
Avoid posting identifying information from your neighborhood, whether that be street numbers, unique structures, or other obvious signs. I’d go so far as to say try not to post anything identifying within five miles of your location, like coffee shops you frequent or your go-to grocery store. Your habits could be caught onto by malefactors who could show up at your place of work or doctor’s office. This is not to fearmonger – it’s possible no one will notice you accidentally posted your house number, but it’s good online hygiene to clean up after your digital footprint by scraping the internet of that information.
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Another helpful tip I abide by? Avoid posting from a location while you’re still at that location. This is hard in an age of instant gratification, but it can be as easy as couching your Instagram posts for when you get back from vacation instead of posting while you’re on vacation. If you’re an avid Snapchatter, this will be difficult, but for other platforms like Facebook and Instagram, you can easily post Stories without a timestamp so no one knows exactly when you were where.
If you’re in online forums that tend toward anonymity or at least ambiguity, like Reddit or Discord groups, think about removing metadata from your photos and/or videos.
“When Location Services is turned on for the Camera app, it uses information known as metadata gathered from cellular, Wi-Fi, GPS networks, and Bluetooth to determine the location coordinates where the photo or video is taken. These coordinates are embedded into each photo and video so that you can later search for them in the Photos app based on the location they were taken, or view location based collections in the Places album.” – Apple Personal Safety User Guide
One easy way to bypass this is by screenshotting the photo you want to share instead of sharing the photo itself. This adds another layer of data dilution as well as diminishes the photo quality, but the screenshot could still contain info like time, date, etcetera. If you’re really concerned, do your research. (Here’s one guide on how to remove metadata from iPhone photos).
Next, black out or blur sensitive or revealing information in photos you do post. Specifically, addresses! There’s a growing parent movement toward maintaining their child’s anonymity online by blurring the baby’s face, covering their face with an emoji, or angling their head away from the camera. This is the same concept.
And finally, check who has access to your accounts, or if your passwords are easily guessable. (Hint: maybe don’t use any of these). Maybe there are important emails listed in the backend of your account or sensitive information available in DMs.2 There’s a reason your workplace might make you change your passwords often. Think about reevaluating your personal ones, too.
What are other ways I can keep myself safe online?
You’ll find the answer to this frequently advertised nowadays. (NordVPN YouTube ads are basically a gimmick now). This technique will cost you, but it will protect your identity and search history. A VPN is a virtual private network, which, according to AWS, “creates a secure data tunnel between your local machine and another VPN server at a location that is thousands of miles away. When you go online, this VPN server becomes the source of all your data. Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and other third parties can no longer see the contents of your internet traffic.”
As well as that, certain social media platforms include clauses in their policies against users revealing personally identifying information. If you’re concerned someone else has doxxed you on social media, learn how to report the post right away. For example, according to CNN, “TikTok clearly defines doxxing in its community guidelines which ban both the collection and publication of individuals’ personal information for malicious intent. Users can report a specific item on the platform and follow the instructions.”
There’s also something called the Streisand effect, which is defined as a “phenomenon in which an attempt to censor, hide, or otherwise draw attention away from something only serves to attract more attention to it,” according to Brittanica. (It’s a fascinating concept to read up on). So if you do post something revealing, don’t go out of your way to correct it publicly, and therefore, draw more attention to it.
What can I do to up my digital privacy IRL?
One thing I’ve started doing is putting privacy screens on all my devices. It’s essentially a tinted glass protector that prevents people from being able to see what’s on my devices from side angles. My phone and computer look like a black screen instead. I started doing this a) after a friend did and b) once I noticed just how many people’s phones I could “eavesdrop on” while on airplanes or subways.
The biggest downside to this is that if someone is directly behind you, they’ll still be able to see your screen, and for me, it doesn’t protect my screen if my phone is horizontal. Still, it’s a whole heck of a lot better than having my whole screen on display. I get to keep my text conversations, emails, personal projects, and social media feeds private and inaccessible to wandering eyes.
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Read the full Gen Z Dictionary here.
Yap: “Talking at length, especially about inconsequential matters,” Collins Dictionary
DMs: Direct message