Can your social media account be a threat to you?
Is sharing personal information could harm you?
Umm maybe no or maybe yes!
Doxxing is nothing but when your personal information is used against you on public forums.
Doxxing is a type of internet harassment in which someone's private information, such as their name, address, or phone number, is shared. Without the victim's permission, doxxers will seek, gather, and publicly disclose personallyidentifying information.
This frequently results in the victim being the focus of new forms of harassment from those who have learned about the leaked information. The term "doxxing" is derived from the practice known as "dropping dox,"
How to safeguard yourself from doxxing?
You can protect yourself from doxxing through some simple steps. You just need to take the right set of precautions.
1) Be careful about what you disclose online
Have you ever attempted to use your name as a search term? Try it out because that's where cyberbullies will start when they want to learn more about you. Take a look at a search engine that prioritizes privacy. Why? Due to the fact that Google displays search results depending on your "user profile" and preferences, you could not see the same information a hacker would.
Try to remove as much of that content as you can after you are aware of the information that is available about you. It can be hard to do this! Your social media profiles and Google's platforms are likely to hold a sizable portion of it. Utilize these tips to de-Google your life and increase the privacy of your social media accounts.
2)
Avoid random quizzes
A lot of the questions on these quizzes may seem random, but they actually contain the solutions to frequently asked security questions. It also provides more data for attackers to work with. It is significantly simpler to correlate information from other data sources with results when an email address or name is provided.
3) Consider your comments before making them.
Even while you can post comments anonymously or with a false identity on forums and news websites, these platforms nevertheless gather information on you, including your IP address, which can identify you and reveal where you are physically located. If you feel the need to comment on websites, avoid entering any personal information that could lead to identity theft, avoid logging in with your social network accounts, and use a VPN to mask your IP address.
4) Apply a VPN
A virtual private network provides great protection against the disclosure of an individual's IP and physical addresses. Before the user's internet traffic leaves the VPN and enters the public internet, it is encrypted and sent through one of the service's servers. We listed numerous VPNs that take privacy and security very seriously in a recent blog.
5) Google Information Removal Request
A user has the option to ask Google to remove any personal information that shows in search results. Through an online form, Google makes this procedure simple. This kind of information is frequently posted online by data brokers for background checks or criminal background checks.
5) Google Information Removal Request
A user has the option to ask Google to remove any personal information that shows in search results. Through an online form, Google makes this procedure simple. This kind of information is frequently posted online by data brokers for background checks or criminal background checks.
Conclusion
Doxxing is a serious threat, especially for Gen-Z. It is highly advisable to be alert while you are on any social platform. You can install some authentic antivirus software like K7 antivirus for your protection.