The act of researching and publicly publishing private or identifying information about an individual, such as a home address, workplace, phone number or family details, typically without consent and with the intent to harass, intimidate or expose the target to real world harm. The term derives from dropping documents and became a recognized form of online harassment in the 2000s and 2010s as personal information grew easier to aggregate from public and leaked sources. Depending on the jurisdiction and the harm that follows, it may be prosecuted as harassment, stalking, or under a distinct offense created by emerging online safety statutes.
Facts
Classification CodeGermany added doxxing to its Criminal Code in September 2021 as endangering dissemination of personal data (Section 126a of the Criminal Code), while Australia's Criminal Code Amendment (Doxxing) Act 2024, effective 10 December 2024, introduced new doxxing offences into the federal Criminal Code Act 1995. 1 Typical PenaltyIn the United States doxxing itself is, at minimum, an infraction in most states for a first-time offender, rising to a misdemeanor when repeated or harassment-motivated, with fines from about US$50 to US$2,000 and up to six months in county jail, or both; Hong Kong imposes up to five years imprisonment and a fine of HK$1,000,000 for doxxing carried out to threaten, intimidate or harass, and Germany's Criminal Code punishes publishing non-freely-accessible personal data with up to three years imprisonment or a fine. 1 Elements of OffenseDoxxing is the act of providing personally identifiable information about an individual or organization, usually via the Internet and without their consent, historically encompassing both the aggregation of information from public databases and social media and the publication of previously private information obtained through criminal or fraudulent means such as hacking and social engineering. 1 Notable ExampleIn 2012, Gawker reporter Adrian Chen revealed the real-world identity of the Reddit moderator known as Violentacrez as Michael Brutsch, prompting Reddit users to accuse Chen of doxing Brutsch and to declare online opposition to Gawker. 1 Jurisdiction VariationLegal treatment of doxxing varies widely: it is at minimum an infraction in most United States states for first-time offenders; Australia's Criminal Code Amendment (Doxxing) Act 2024 introduced dedicated federal doxxing offences; Germany added a specific offense to its Criminal Code in September 2021; and as of the end of 2024 Austria has no doxxing-specific offense, relying instead on its anti-stalking and cyber-mobbing laws. 1 Classification
Offense GradeMinor or Summary Offense 1 Connections
Associated With
Source Wikipedia: Cybercrime
Has Offense Grade
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Sources
1. Doxing (Wikipedia)
Germany section, criminal code addition sentence
In Germany, doxing was added to the criminal code in September 2021 as endangering dissemination of personal data (gefährdendes Verbreiten personenbezogener Daten) (Section 126a of the Criminal Code).
lead paragraph, first sentence
Doxing or doxxing is the act of providing personally identifiable information about an individual or organization, usually via the Internet and without their consent, and or with the intention of harassing or causing distress to the victim.
Hong Kong section, penalty sentence
Persons convicted under this statute are liable to imprisonment for up to 5 years, and a fine of HK$1,000,000 (US$128,324.40).
History section, Adrian Chen and Violentacrez sentence
In 2012, when Gawker reporter Adrian Chen revealed the identity of Reddit troll Violentacrez as Michael Brutsch, Reddit users accused Chen of doxing Brutsch and declared "war" on Gawker.
Austria section, no specific offense sentence
While as of the end of 2024 doxing is no specific offense, the laws mentioned are used in cases of online violence.
View the SourceWikipedia: Cybercrime
Associated With: Cybercrime, Lead and law-enforcement sectionsQuote, Associated With: Cybercrime, Lead and law-enforcement sections
Cybercrime encompasses a wide range of criminal activities that are carried out using digital devices and/or networks.
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