Unwanted Exposure
Of Doxing And Other Dangers On The Internet
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If you cannot bear these stories then the society is unbearable. Who am I to remove the clothes of this society, which itself is naked. I don’t even try to cover it, because it is not my job, that’s the job of dressmakers- Saadat Hasan Manto
One of the most malicious forms of internet vigilantism, hacking or hacktivism that has re-emerged today is Doxxing i.e. a portmanteau for online document sharing without obtaining permission from the owner of the data. It has caused irreparable damage to many -celebrities and commoners alike. However, it is also a very poignant reminder for the user to think twice before posting content on the internet. As platforms such as Facebook, Twitter morph from being just platforms that curate users data for advertisers to sources of news and more nefariously — weapons of psychological warfare, nobody is spared from the agony of unwanted access to personal information. More importantly, big data shared online can transform people into widgets capable of manipulation by master craftsman i.e. technological Luddites as far as the art of mental manipulation. The irony is that we share a lot of our information voluntarily. Even if we don’t, sensors in our homes, on the street, on applications and on our watches are monitoring our everyday life. This trend is only going to magnify as the human thirst for data multiplies exponentially and the enabling technologies such as 5G act as catalysts to exacerbate this trend. This article explains some of the popular types of hacking attempts and provides an overview of ‘Doxxing’ as a malpractice.
How Has The Online World Changed
On August 15, 1995, exactly 48 years after India obtained Independence, a government owned Internet Service Provider — the Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL) opened up the internet to public access. I was not even a teenager then. By 1997, I was officially an internet addict. The ring tone confirming the fact that my Personal Computer (PC) had connected to the ISP was one of the most blissful sounding tones in my life. Finally, after three agonizing attempts, I was on the…
