Human virus? Commencing re-infection. You think you can kill Dox? Time for the resurrection.
http://comicvine.gamespot.com/profile/_dox_/ got shut down. But his spirit will never die.
"Doxing"
"Doxing" is a neologism that has evolved over its brief history. It comes from a spelling alteration of the abbreviation "docs" (for "documents") and refers to "compiling and releasing a dossier of personal information on someone".[9] Essentially, doxing is openly revealing and publicizing records of an individual, which were previously private or difficult to obtain.
The term dox derives from the slang "dropping dox", which according to writer Mat Honan was "an old-school revenge tactic that emerged from hacker culture in 1990s". Hackers operating outside the law in that era used the breach of an opponent's anonymity as a means to expose opponents to harassment or legal repercussions.[9]
As such, doxing often comes with a negative connotation, because it can be a vehicle for revenge via the violation of privacy.[10]
Common techniques
Hackers and amateur detectives alike can harvest the information from the internet about individuals. A basic Web search can yield results. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Linkedin offer a wealth of private information, because many users have high levels of self-disclosure (i.e. sharing their photos, place of employment, phone number, email address), but low levels of security. It is also possible to extrapolate a person's name and home address from a cell-phone number, through such services as reverse phone lookup.[11]
Notable examples
Anonymous
Main article: Anonymous (group)
The term "dox" entered mainstream public awareness through media attention attracted by Anonymous, the Internet-based group of hacktivists and pranksters who make frequent use of doxing,[12] as well as related groups like AntiSec and LulzSec.
In December 2011, Anonymous exposed detailed information of 7,000 members of law enforcement in response to investigations into hacking activities.[4]
In November 2014, Anonymous began releasing the identities of members of the Ku Klux Klan.[13] This was in relation to local Klan members in Ferguson, Missouri, making threats to shoot anyone who provoked them while protesting the shooting of Michael Brown. Anonymous also hijacked the group's Twitter page, and this resulted in veiled threats of violence against members of Anonymous.[14]
In April 2015, Anonymous made threats to release the identities of the Vineland Police Department and the Cumberland County Prosecutors Office. The threat was made over at an Anonymous associated youtube channel,[15]and is still an evolving event. The threat was in regards to a Vineland, NJ man who died in custody.[16]
Human flesh search engine
Main article: Human flesh search engine
The Chinese Internet phenomenon of the "Human flesh search engine" shares much in common with doxing. Specifically, it refers to distributed, sometimes deliberatelycrowdsourced searches for similar kinds of information through use of digital media.[17][18]
Journalists
Journalists with the newspaper The Journal News of Westchester County, New York, were accused of doxing gun owners in the region in a story the paper published in December 2012.[19][20]
Newsweek came under fire when writer Leah McGrath Goodman claimed to have revealed the identity of the anonymous creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto. Though the source of her sleuthing was primarily the public record, she was heavily criticized for her doxing by users on Reddit.[10]
Michael Brown and Ferguson
In the wake of the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014, doxing was used to identify people responsible for racist remarks on social media accounts via a tumblr blog.[21]
Curt Schilling
In March 2015, former MLB pitcher Curt Schilling used doxing to identify several people responsible for "Twitter troll" posts with obscene, sexually explicit comments about his teenage daughter. One person was suspended from his community college, and another lost a part-time job with the New York Yankees.[22]
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