A Doxxing Lawyer Can Help You Get Your Privacy Back

Doxxing is perhaps the most damaging type of threat to individual privacy. Typically, doxxing is when personally identifying information is exposed on the internet, in an individually targeted manner meant to shame or intimidate somebody. A doxxing lawyer is a defamation attorney with experience in assisting people who have been the targets of doxxing.

When it comes to personal records maintained by healthcare providers, government agencies, or financial institutions, the public exposure of personally identifying details (such as social security numbers) usually involves hacking, identity theft, data leaks, or the mishandling of records in ways that violate existing legislation, such as HIPAA.

However, doxxing differs from hacking, identity theft, and data leaks in that the exposure of personally identifying information is targeted at an individual. This may occur to shame or intimidate that person. Unlike a data breach, the personally identifying information exposed in a doxxing incident usually involves the misuse of a person’s name and image to spread rumors, or to target violence or harassment at a person. If you are being doxxed online, contact us today to schedule a free initial consultation with one of our doxxing attorneys.

What is Doxxing?

The term “doxxing” is internet slang derived from the word “document” when used as a verb. It means to “document” somebody, i.e., to publish their personally identifying information. Most commonly, political operatives dox their opponents by attempting to identify and associate an anonymous social media or message board account to a specific individual. High school students and even adults may try to bully or humiliate one another by spreading rumors or embarrassing video about others in the community. Doxxing may also take the form of revenge porn, or social media influencers directing their followers to harass someone. It could also involve false or opportunistic accusations made online for personal reasons.

The Big Question – Is Doxxing Illegal?

Doxxing exists in a moral and legal grey area. This is for three reasons:

First, because it results from the same mundane social chatter and gossip that human beings have always engaged in, extrapolated to the internet with all its record keeping functions and potential for widespread publicity. In effect, doxxing is just a newer and more intensive version of very ancient shaming behaviors.

Second, because doxxing is just old-fashioned gossip and scandal (but filtered through new technology), it only appears wrong to us when our personal biases and political beliefs bring us to sympathize with the victim; whereas, if the victim is someone we dislike or disagree with, the same kind of doxxing may appear to us to be deserved, or even a public service. This is sometimes referred to as the friend/enemy distinction.

Third, because the news media intrinsically engages in doxxing when reporting on supposed wrongdoing, by targeting exposure and coverage at specific individuals, there can be a great deal of overlap between the activities of private individuals who engage in doxxing attacks, and the news coverage that may result from such online activity.

If someone films you in public in a harassing manner and publicizes the footage to shame you, the media may pick the story up and run with it if they think it is newsworthy. At that point, the individual harassing you would be considered to have doxxed you; whereas the media is just doing “journalism” by reporting the story. But the terrible effect on the targeted individual is the same either way.

Can You Sue Someone for Doxxing?

If you are being doxxed, can you sue the person doxxing you? That’s a terrific question and the answer is: “it depends.”

Most states offer some form of protection under criminal law against cyber-bullying. From what we’ve seen, these laws don’t really protect against run-of-the-mill internet flamewars and shaming, unless the behavior is uniquely awful. And even when the behavior is uniquely awful, anti-cyberbullying statutes are rarely enforced by prosecutors and police.

However, if your personally identifying information was obtained wrongfully, that may qualify as a hacking or privacy-related civil offense, and our doxxing lawyers can help. For example, if you asked an intimate partner to delete racy images of you, and that person kept those images and later exposed those images to others, you may be well-advised not only to press criminal charges, but to pursue civil action as well.

You May Have Legal Grounds Against Doxxing

If you are being doxxed, you may have grounds for a lawsuit against someone who is doxxing you or engaging in targeted harassment on the internet. Claims that may be viable in doxxing cases include:

• Defamation, if accompanying statements being made about you are false
• Invasion of privacy, if intimate information is being circulated
• Commercial misappropriation, if your personally identifying information is being used, without your permission, for financial gain
• Interference with communications, if you were hacked or digitally eavesdropped upon.

Although civil law affords certain narrowly defined protections, there is a widespread misconception that the law affords us a generalized right to privacy. Unfortunately, that is not really the case. While the Fourth Amendment protects us from warrantless searches and seizures by the government, the protection does not go further than that.

Any other right to privacy enshrined in law is going to be found only under very narrow and specific instances, such as legislation like HIPAA that protects your medical records, or common law protections against commercial misappropriation or digital eavesdropping.

However, with a doxxing lawyer in your corner, it may be possible to fight back and put a stop to doxxing and invasion of privacy. Contact us today for a free initial consultation.

A Doxxing Lawyer Can Help You Assess Your Options

Doxxing can have devastating effects on your personal and professional life. If you are being doxxed, you want a lawyer who has experience in doxxing law. Legal matters involving doxxing can present a variety of options.

Contact a doxxing lawyer at Late Night Law today for your free case evaluation or give us a call at (505) 225-2623.