What to Do If You've Been Doxxed: A Step-by-Step Response Plan (2026)
Immediate steps
- Assess physical safety first; if threats reference your home/family or you fear violence, call 911.
- Document everything before it disappears (see the evidence section below).
- Report the doxxing content to the platform(s) hosting it and request removal.
- Lock down accounts: change passwords, enable two-factor authentication (prefer an authenticator app over SMS).
- Tell trusted people and, if relevant, your employer/school so they aren't socially engineered.
- Submit a removal request to Google for the doxxing URLs.
Evidence preservation
Take full-screen screenshots that capture the URL, username, date, and time. Save the web addresses (URLs) of each post. Do not delete the harmful posts or your own accounts before documenting — you may need the evidence for platforms and law enforcement. Keep a dated log of each incident.
Where to report
| Entity | Contact | What to report |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting platform (X, Meta, TikTok, Reddit, etc.) | Each platform's report/abuse tool | The specific posts publishing your private info; request removal under their privacy/doxxing policy |
| Google Search | https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/9673730 and the 'Results about you' hub at goo.gle/resultsaboutyou | URLs exposing your contact info, or doxxing content with threats |
| FBI IC3 | https://www.ic3.gov | Doxxing accompanied by threats, stalking, or extortion |
| Local police | Non-emergency line; 911 if in danger | Threats, harassment, and to create a paper trail / case number |
Removal actions
- Report each doxxing post to the platform and cite their doxxing/private-information policy.
- Use Google's 'Remove my private info' form and 'Results about you' hub to remove search results exposing your address, phone, email, or government IDs.
- Opt out of the people-search sites and data brokers that likely supplied your address/phone (see remove yourself from people search sites).
- If outdated content lingers in search after the source is removed, use Google's refresh/outdated-content tool.
Prevention and follow-up
- Run a personal privacy audit and remove yourself from people-search/data-broker sites.
- Freeze your credit at all three bureaus and place a fraud alert.
- Set up Google 'Results about you' monitoring for your name, phone, address, and email.
- If you fear a swatting hoax, see our swatting guide for proactive 911-registration options.
Legal context
There is no single comprehensive federal anti-doxxing statute, but several federal laws can apply: 18 U.S.C. 119 (publishing 'restricted personal information' about certain covered persons with intent to threaten/harm) and the federal stalking statute 18 U.S.C. 2261A can reach doxxing tied to threats or a course of conduct causing fear or substantial emotional distress. Many states have anti-doxxing and cyber-harassment laws, and some (e.g., California, Illinois) provide civil remedies. This is general information, not legal advice.
Key mistakes to avoid
- Engaging with or retaliating against the doxxer — it often escalates the attack.
- Deleting the evidence before documenting it.
- Assuming deleting your social account removes your address — brokered data persists.
- Ignoring physical-safety planning while focusing only on takedowns.
How Delist helps
Doxxing usually starts with data brokers and people-search sites: an attacker buys or scrapes your address and phone, then republishes it. Removing yourself from those broker and people-search sites cuts off the supply at the source, so even if one post is taken down the attacker can't easily re-source your information. delist.ai automates and monitors those broker removals.
Find out what personal data is exposed about you online.
Run a free scan →Frequently asked questions
Is this illegal?
How do I prevent this from happening again?
Should I contact the police?
Can Delist help with this?
Sources
- CISA definition of doxing and mitigation guidance
- DHS guidance to report and document doxxing; report online crime to IC3
- Google's process for removing private info / doxxing content from Search
- FBI IC3 reporting channel for internet-enabled crime
This guide provides general information for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, medical, or safety advice. If you are in danger, contact emergency services immediately.