Doxxed? Do this first.

breathe. then move.

Someone posted your real name, address, or identity. It’s terrifying — and it’s survivable. This is the calm, ordered checklist for the worst day: what to do in the first hour, the first day, and the first week.

The first hour

1.Don’t engage the poster. Responding confirms the info matters and feeds the fire.

2.Document everything first: screenshots with URLs and dates, saved before you report — takedowns destroy evidence.

3.Tell one trusted person what’s happening. You need a second brain, and you shouldn’t carry the first day alone.

The first day: lock down

✓Change passwords on email, banking, and platforms — email first, it’s the master key.

✓Turn on two-factor authentication everywhere (app-based, not SMS, where possible).

✓Set personal social accounts private; scrub bios and old posts that link persona to person.

✓Check haveibeenpwned.com to see what else is already exposed.

✓If your address was posted and you feel unsafe, stay elsewhere tonight. Trust that instinct.

The first week: remove and report

Remove: file data-broker opt-outs (or use a removal service like DeleteMe) — that’s where doxxers got the info and where re-posts will source from. Use Google’s "results about you" removal request for your address and phone number.

Report: every post to its platform — doxxing violates virtually every ToS. If there are threats, report to police and get a report number; platforms and banks move faster when one exists.

If intimate images are part of it: hash them with StopNCII, use the platform’s NCII channel (48-hour removal under the TAKE IT DOWN Act), and use our DMCA writer for stolen paid content.

When to get a lawyer

If the doxxing is persistent, tied to extortion or stalking, or the poster is identifiable — a lawyer who specializes in online harassment can go after the person, not just the posts. C.A. Goldberg Law (on our Resources page) is the model of the specialty.

Afterwards

Doxxing is an assault on your sense of safety, and the anxiety outlasts the posts. Pineapple Support’s free therapy exists for exactly this. Getting help processing it is part of the response plan, not an optional extra.

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KEEP STUDYING

The TAKE IT DOWN Act, explained → StopNCII + C.A. Goldberg (Resources) → Pineapple Support (Resources) →

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