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Doxxing

Short answer

Doxxing is publishing someone's personal information, such as a home address, phone number or workplace, in order to cause them harm. The details are often assembled from data brokers, public records and social media. You can reduce what is available by opting out of people-search sites, ask Google to remove doxxing content from Search, and report posts to the platform. If you are threatened, contact the police.

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Last reviewed

General information, not legal advice. This page has not yet been reviewed by a lawyer; check the linked primary sources before relying on it.

Key takeaways

  • Much of what is used in doxxing is already public and is only gathered into one place.
  • Opting out of people-search sites reduces what a search for your name returns.
  • Google reviews removal requests for personal information posted with threats or calls to harass.
  • Some US states have specific laws, including a civil claim in Illinois and a criminal offence in California.

What is the problem?

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) describes doxxing as a person or other entity exposing information about you, publicly available or secret, for the purpose of causing harm. The information may be something you meant to keep private, such as your home address, or something that can be found with a little digging, such as a phone number or workplace address.

The harm comes from the combination and the intent. A home address beside a call to harass is a different thing from the same address in a property record.

How does it happen?

The EFF points to data brokers, which collect information from public records and online trackers and add commercial data. The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) explains that people-search sites compile such sources into reports that can show current and previous addresses and the names and addresses of family members, and sell them to anyone willing to pay.

Someone gathers these details and posts them where others will see them, sometimes with an explicit or implied invitation to act.

What laws may apply?

  • US federal law. The stalking statute, 18 U.S.C. 2261A, covers using an electronic communication service, with intent to harass or intimidate, in a course of conduct that causes or would reasonably be expected to cause substantial emotional distress, or that places a person in reasonable fear of death or serious bodily injury.
  • California. Penal Code section 653.2 makes it a misdemeanour to electronically distribute a person's personal identifying information, without consent and with intent to place them in reasonable fear for their safety, for the purpose of imminently causing unwanted physical contact, injury or harassment by a third party.
  • Illinois. The Civil Liability for Doxing Act, in effect since 1 January 2024, lets a person sue someone who intentionally publishes their personally identifiable information without consent, with intent that it be used to harm or harass, where defined harm results. It has exceptions for reporting unlawful conduct and for constitutionally protected activity.
  • Address confidentiality. California's Safe at Home programme gives eligible people, including victims of domestic violence and stalking, a substitute mailing address that government agencies accept.
  • Elsewhere. What applies depends on where you live and on the facts.

What you can do yourself

These steps are free and do not need UltoPulto.

  1. Search your own name, phone number and address to see what is already public.
  2. Opt out of people-search sites. The FTC says you can do this yourself for free. See data brokers and people-search sites.
  3. If you have been doxxed, save the address of each post, screenshots and the date before you report.
  4. Report the post to the platform it is on.
  5. Ask Google to remove the pages from Search. Google reviews only the addresses you submit, and the page itself stays online.
  6. Use a strong, unique password and multifactor authentication on each account.
  7. If you are threatened or fear for your safety, contact the police.

What UltoPulto can do

  • The Exposure Scan checks people-search sites and shows what was found.Built
  • Removal and suppression requests to people-search sites and data brokers, written for the law that applies where you live.Built
  • Real delivery of requests. A request is sent only to a contact our team has verified; until then it stays a draft.In rollout
  • Re-checks to confirm removal and to catch a listing that has reappeared.Built
  • An evidence trail on every case: the request, recipient, legal basis, replies, deadline and status history.Built
  • An exportable evidence dossier for police, courts or regulators.Planned

What UltoPulto cannot do

  • Send a notice about a doxxing post. Our takedown notices today cover deepfakes, intimate images and impersonation, so you report the post to the platform yourself.
  • Change public records, or identify the person who posted your information.
  • Provide emergency help or physical protection. If you are in danger, contact the police.
  • Guarantee that a broker complies. A request can be refused, and we show it as refused.

Sources

  1. 1Doxxing: Tips To Protect Yourself Online & How to Minimize HarmElectronic Frontier FoundationNon-profitOpened 2026-10-04
  2. 2What To Know About People Search Sites That Sell Your InformationFederal Trade CommissionGovernmentOpened 2026-10-04
  3. 3Remove my private info from Google SearchGoogle Search HelpCompany documentationOpened 2026-10-04
  4. 418 U.S. Code § 2261A: StalkingLegal Information Institute, Cornell Law SchoolLawOpened 2026-10-04
  5. 5California Penal Code section 653.2California Legislative InformationLawOpened 2026-10-04
  6. 6Civil Liability for Doxing Act, 740 ILCS 195/10Illinois General AssemblyLawOpened 2026-10-04
  7. 7Safe at HomeCalifornia Secretary of StateGovernmentOpened 2026-10-04

Questions

Is doxxing illegal?

It depends on where you are and what was done. In the US, federal stalking law and state laws such as California Penal Code 653.2 may apply, and Illinois allows a civil claim.

Where do people who dox get home addresses?

Often from sources that are already public, such as the data brokers and people-search sites that the EFF and the FTC describe.

Can Google remove my address from search results?

Google lets you request removal of results that show your address, phone number or email. Removal from Search does not remove the page from the web.

Does opting out of people-search sites prevent doxxing?

It reduces what is easy to find; it does not make doxxing impossible. Listings can also reappear, so the sites need checking again.