The security of our personal data is an aspect that we have to be fully aware of when using applications and social networks, so it is important that all users know what doxing means and how to dox on WhatsApp. Although it seems like another term in technological jargon, doxxear implies the exposure of sensitive data (addresses, credit card numbers, phone number, etc.) of a person through their exposure online.
Many people can be victims of doxxing on WhatsApp. This practice is used not only by hackers , but by many users for the purpose of harassment, threats or revenge, so we have to reinforce the security of our device so that they cannot access sensitive data and take extreme precautions when it comes to facilitate them.
To avoid being doxed on WhatsApp, we will have to start acquiring certain habits in the daily use of the application, and one of them is not to expose very personal data as much as possible in our chats (bank accounts, passwords, etc. .), since WhatsApp, despite the fact that it offers an encryption service that makes hacking difficult , is not 100% invulnerable to outside intrusions . Another important recommendation is to be extremely careful with phishing links and not click on surprisingly attractive offers or suspicious information that may come to us through a group or chat, no matter how trustworthy the contact is.
HOW TO DOX A PHONE NUMBER
As mentioned above, how to dox a phone number is a practice that can expose data as personal as this on the Internet through social networks or messaging applications to harm a third party. Sharing a phone number with a contact does not imply doxing per se (although it is always advisable to have the permission of the person whose number is shared), but it does when a number is exposed in a group or in several chats. phone calls for harmful purposes such as public ridicule or personal revenge.
Some web pages seek to profit from the sale of personal information of this type through subscriptions , and in this case it is a case of doxxing that the big platforms try to avoid in their fight for the Internet to be a safe place. Google assured in a report by The Verge that “if we can verify that those links contain personally identifiable information, there is no other content on the web that is of public interest, and we receive a request to delete those URLs, we will do so.”
Many times, when filling out a form, we are not fully aware of who our personal data is going to . It is always advisable to know who is going to collect this data so that we do not find that our phone has been doxed and is freely circulating on WhatsApp or other messaging platforms, potentially causing us unwanted harm.
IS IT LEGAL TO DOX?
After knowing what doxing consists of , another question automatically arrives. Is it legal to dox? Legislation does not usually specify it, so these cases are usually analyzed individually . In theory, the information that we expose publicly on the Internet, especially on social networks, is visible on our own initiative (or due to the user’s ignorance), so in these cases its exposure would not entail any crime.
However, if the exposure of these documents or private information is for the purpose of harassment, identity theft, or incitement to violence, it will likely be considered illegal activity . As already indicated in previous articles, it is convenient to know how to proceed legally in the face of a problem of this type that can lead to damages such as threats or intimidation.