Essays Tagged "BetaBoston"

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2015: The Year "Doxing" Will Hit Home

  • Bruce Schneier
  • BetaBoston
  • December 31, 2014

Those of you unfamiliar with hacker culture might need an explanation of “doxing.”

The word refers to the practice of publishing personal information about people without their consent. Usually it’s things like an address and phone number, but it can also be credit card details, medical information, private e-mails—pretty much anything an assailant can get his hands on.

Doxing is not new; the term dates back to 2001 and the hacker group Anonymous. But it can be incredibly offensive. In 2014, several women were doxed by male gamers trying to intimidate them into keeping silent about sexism in computer games…

Sidebar photo of Bruce Schneier by Joe MacInnis.