Doxing

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Doxing or doxxing is the act of publicly providing personally identifiable information about an individual or organization, usually via the Internet and without their consent.^[1][2][3] Historically, the term has been used to refer to both the aggregation of this information from public databases and social media websites (like Facebook), and the publication of previously private information obtained through criminal or otherwise fraudulent means (such as hacking and social engineering).^{[citation needed]}

The aggregation and provision of previously published material is generally legal, though it may be subject to laws concerning stalking and intimidation.^[4] Doxing may be carried out for reasons such as online shaming, extortion, and vigilante aid to law enforcement.^[5][6] It also may be associated with hacktivism.