Have you ever wondered what it means when someone says they’ve been doxed? This article will cover the meaning of the word dox, how to use dox in a sentence, translations of dox, and synonyms and antonyms of dox.
Keep reading to learn more about this dangerous internet activity.
What Does the Word Dox Mean?
According to Dictionary, the word dox is most often used as a verb to refer to the publishing of a person’s private or personal information on online platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, forums like Reddit, and message boards — without that person’s consent.
Doxing is considered a form of internet harassment. The pronunciation of dox is docs.
Online vigilantes or hackers can dox people using various types of information, such as:
- Phone Numbers
- A Credit Card Number
- Social Security Numbers
- The Usernames And Passwords To Social Media Accounts
- Ip Addresses
- Contact Information
- Government Records
- A Physical Address
- Marriage Licenses
- Bank Account Information From Financial Institutions
- Online Search Histories
- And more…
This information can be found by hacking into an online database or online accounts of many types. If a credit card provider or credit card company has a breach, this may mean that hackers can see your card info and can post it online. If reverse phone lookup services are hacked, your phone number can be posted online.
If an internet service provider is hacked, people may be able to gain access to your personal information. If search engines like Google are hacked, who knows what kind of information could be out there.
Preventing Doxing
To prevent doxing attacks, people can take security measures like adjusting their privacy settings on their social media profiles, using a VPN (a virtual private network), and more. When innocent people are doxed, they can also go to police officers and law enforcement for support.
Both private figures and public features like journalists and politicians can be doxed no matter how hard they try to protect their anonymity.
How Can Dox Be Used in a Sentence?
Dox is a slang term, which means that it should only be used in casual or informal situations. Take a look at the examples of dox below to see how to use this word in everyday speech:
The politician was doxed when she revealed her support of controversial bills and began receiving death threats on the internet.
My credit card company got hacked, and I found that my card information had been doxed. I had to get a brand new card.
Our entire class roster of information was doxed after the data breach, which means that anyone online could find all of our personal information.
What Are Translations of Dox?
The word dox is an American slang term. However, there are many ways that someone can say the word expose in other languages. You can use this list of translations of expose from Nice Translator to communicate with non-English speakers about information being exposed online:
- Bengali: প্রকাশ করা
- Romanian: expune
- Marathi: उघड करणे
- Vietnamese: phơi ra
- Croatian: izložiti
- Serbian: изложити
- Finnish: paljastaa
- Norwegian: avdekke
- Hebrew: לַחשׂוֹף
- Slovak: vystaviť
- Turkish: ortaya çıkarmak
- Icelandic: afhjúpa
- Kannada: ಒಡ್ಡು
- Malay: mendedahkan
- Lithuanian: atskleisti
- Urdu: بے نقاب
- Thai: เปิดเผย
- Amharic: ተጋላጭ
- Catalan: exposar
- German: exponieren
- Polish: expose
- Portuguese (Portugal): expor
- Danish: udsætte
- Hungarian: kitesz
- Ukrainian: викривати
- Italian: esporre
- Bulgarian: излагане
- Arabic: تعرض
- Russian: разоблачать
- Gujarati: ખુલ્લું કરવું
- Basque: arriskatu
- Welsh: amlygon
- Japanese: 公開
- Swedish: översikt
- Tamil: அம்பலமாக்கு
- Korean: 폭로하다
- Greek: εκθέτω
- Telugu: బహిర్గతం
- Malayalam: വെളിപ്പെടുത്തുക
- Latvian: atklāt
- Portuguese (Brazil): expor
- Swahili: wazi
- Chinese (Taiwan): 暴露
- Hindi: अनावृत करना
- Filipino: ilantad
- Estonian: paljastama
- Spanish: exponer
- Slovenian: razkriti
- Czech: odhalit
- Indonesian: membuka
- Chinese (PRC): 暴露
- Dutch: blootleggen
- French: exposer
What Are Synonyms of the Word Dox?
Dox has a very specific connotation regarding the exposure of information without someone else’s consent. However, there are many words that a person can use to mean expose that may not have the same connotation.
Take a look at this list of synonyms from Power Thesaurus to learn all of the different ways you can say expose:
- bare
- betray
- blab
- brandish
- break
- bring into the open
- bring out
- bring to light
- debunk
- demonstrate
- denounce
- denude
- detect
- dig up
- disclose
- disclosure
- discover
- disinter
- display
- disprove
- disrobe
- divest
- divulge
- endanger
- evince
- exhibit
- expose
- find
- find out
- flaunt
- give away
- impart
- imperil
- jeopardize
- lay bare
- lay open
- leak
- let on
- let out
- let slip
- make known
- make public
- manifest
- open
- peril
- present
- publish
- queer
- report
- reveal
- revealing
- revelation
- scupper
- show
- show up
- strip
- tell
- uncloak
- unclothe
- uncover
- uncovering
- undress
- unearth
- unmask
- unmasking
- unveil
- unwrap
What Are Antonyms of Dox?
There are also many ways that you can say the opposite of dox, which would be to cover or conceal. Power Thesaurus provides many similar words that can be used as opposites of dox:
- blanket
- blind
- block out
- blot out
- bury
- camouflage
- cloak
- coat
- compensate
- comprehend
- comprise
- conceal
- cover-up
- cross
- curtain
- daub
- defend
- disguise
- dissemble
- drape
- embrace
- encompass
- enshroud
- envelop
- front
- gloss over
- go
- guard
- hide
- hush up
- include
- incorporate
- involve
- mantle
- mask
- meet
- obscure
- overlay
- preserve
- protect
- range
- rise above
- roam
- roof in
- safeguard
- save
- screen
- secrete
- secure
- shade
- shelter
- shield
- shroud
- tour
- travel
- traverse
- veil
- withhold
- wrap
- wrap up
Conclusion
The concept of doxing refers to exposing a person’s private information online without their consent. Doxing can occur because of data breaches or targeted attacks on specific people. To prevent doxing, make sure that you have secure passwords, double-check your privacy settings on social media and other websites, and use a VPN.
Sources:
Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do's and don'ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.
