Our colleagues at Nieman Reports have a new piece up on an important question: how to deter doxxing. (“The practice of publicly posting private information (home addresses, phone numbers, credit card and Social Security details) which can be used to threaten or otherwise harass an individual.”) Reporter Rose Eleveth outlines some of the steps you or your news organization can take to reduce the chances of it happening to you:
New hires should have digital security training — how to keep personal information private, which sites and groups target reporters, how to send and receive encrypted files — as part of the on-boarding process, and this training should be updated as the harassment ecosystem changes.
Editors should get training on what harassment looks like and the people and sites that might target employees or freelancers. Finance departments should be comfortable using encrypted documents for things like invoices and tax forms.
Reporters should be offered an official e-mail address and phone number that is separate from their personal points of contact. Packages and letters should always be sent to the office, rather than to private homes.
Freelancers should consider using P.O. boxes instead of their home addresses and Skype or Google Voice phone numbers in place of personal cells or landlines. Do not send sensitive data like Social Security numbers and home addresses via unencrypted e-mail.
Those concerned about harassment should set up personal support networks like Slack chat rooms or private Facebook groups.
For a lot of interesting background on online harassment — and what to do if, despite precautions, you’re doxxed anyway — check out the whole piece.
