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Doxing can affect someone in a wide variety of ways. It can affect someone’s mental health, professional life and in some extreme cases, their physical health.
#SayNoToOnlineGBV
#SayNoToOnlineGBV
Living with the threat of being doxed or actually getting doxed can cause feelings of overwhelming anxiety which can impact their mental health.
#SayNoToOnlineGBV
#SayNoToOnlineGBV
When someone’s information is shared online, it can often feel to the victim like the entire world has gained access to the most private details of their personal life.
#SayNoToOnlineGBV
#SayNoToOnlineGBV
Of course, this isn’t the case in reality – only a fraction of people would have actually seen the content being shared. Trying to rationalize the situation and gain a healthy perspective is key to dealing with doxing but it can be very difficult in practice.
#SayNoToOnlineGBV
#SayNoToOnlineGBV
The heightened anxiety levels normally remain for the duration that the content is being displayed online, or for as long as the victim is still receiving harassment and abuse in relation to that particular unauthorized disclosure.
#SayNoToOnlineGBV
#SayNoToOnlineGBV
These cases of longterm anxiety and distress can aggravate pre-exisitng mental health problems and potentially even lead to mental illnesses such as depression and self-harm.
#SayNoToOnlineGBV
#SayNoToOnlineGBV
If the victim’s home address has been shared, the victim may become worried about leaving or going outside – leading to even further problems such as employment or education problems.
#SayNoToOnlineGBV
#SayNoToOnlineGBV
If your personal information such as your home address is being shared or distributed online, it is important that you assess any potential threat to your personal safety and contact the relevant authorities as you see fit.
#SayNoToOnlineGBV
#SayNoToOnlineGBV
