Doxing

Doxing (also spelled doxxing) is the publishing of private or identifying information about an individual on the Internet, typically with malicious intent. In fandom, doxing is used to connect pseuds to Real Life identities, forcing fans out of the Fandom Closet. It can also reveal that sockpuppets are not real people. Information such as real name, address, phone number, place of work, private accounts, other online usernames, I.P. address, and personal photographs are some things that are revealed when someone is doxed. 
==Doxing in Fandom==
Fans have discussed how the frequency of doxing, while still uncommon, seems much greater in fandom spaces now than even a few years ago and how this contributes to concerns amongst some fans. There are a number of factors which people suggest might contribute to this. 
In terms of why it might be easier for people to carry out the doxing in the first place, fans have discussed how people seem to put a lot more personal information online. Things like carrd.co, which are used by many users on Tumblr for example, and the encouragement to share identifiable details about oneself online can make it easier to link together people's accounts and find out who they are.
Other fans have discussed the growth of photo and video-based social media and the influence of algorithms and what they encourage posting of. On platforms like TikTok, especially, people are recording themselves more in locations that can be identified with reverse image searches or through other methods. They are posting their fan videos on the same account as their personal videos, so there isn't even any really effort needed to make the connection. In fact, some users on TikTok have used their skills in more ethical ways, with users consenting and submitting themselves to be located, to demonstrate just how easy it is to find out information about someone.
In considering the increase itself within fandom spaces, people have discussed how the nastier sides of fandom spaces are more difficult to avoid and get away from now. Opinion tends to be split over whether fan spaces are worse now than in previous decades, or whether there is just a different form of toxic behaviour. However, many fans agree that, especially online, we see a lot more of the worst behaviour and in greater volume. For example, fifteen to twenty years ago, a disagreement over a ship would likely have remained on a single livejournal or a forum, whereas now it's just as likely to be shared on Twitter or TikTok with encouragement to harass or dox the individual in question.
Others have discussed the role of parasocial relationships between fans and the creators of the fandom they are part of, including noting an increase in how public figures – ranging from very famous celebrities through minor celebrities, to influencers or social media users who just happened to get big off a post or tweet, to Big Name Fans – has led to people trying to find out a lot of information about them and sharing it widely. 
Another topic often raised in discussions of doxing, is with fans seeing the doxing and other harassment as a form of activism or the morally right thing to do because they find the individual they are doxing to be unforgivable or reprehensible in some way. For example, some of the fans who have doxed people seem to be genuine in their belief they are doing a public good when the target of their harassment and exposure is someone who ships a pairing they deem to be problematic. This heavily overlaps with other discussions around purity culture and fandom and fandom antis.
In many instances, doxing occurs over fandom discourse. However occasionally, doxing in fandom can be done for political or ideological reasons, for instance as a form of antifascism if the fan in question is a fascist, such as with NaziFurs in the furry fandom. It's important to note that doxxing is considered a valid and ethical tactic in antifascism, but only when exposing fascists specifically, fan or otherwise, and not random fans of a particular NOTP the doxxer doesn't like.
==Notable Instances==
*An anti-shipper on Tumblr named bendyhatespaedos purposefully doxed pedophiles, and admitted to doxing a 12 year old.
*A mod from the FeralHeart public forum was accused of soft doxing after revealing two forum members had the same I.P. address, though the actual I.P. addresses were marked out.
*Anonymous, a group credited as starting on 4chan, has doxed members of the KKK.
*Brokenlevel, a Tumblr user, was reportedly doxed for shipping drama in the RWBY fandom, and had someone attempt to get them fired from work. , Jun 3, 2018 (Accessed 10/15/2020)
*I am Luna Sol, a fan artist was subjected to harassment, including being doxxed multiple times, for over a year for drawing Kaeluc ship art. They have spoken about their experiences with being harassed. (See also: Bliss Fully Aware podcast, episode 47, 'Antis and the Clock App' and episode 67, 'The Lunasol Interview')
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