Personal Data Scraped by Netizens, IPB University Psychologist Discusses the Impact of Doxing on Mental Health
Recently, the social media trend has been rife with the phenomenon of doxing. What recently went viral was the spread of personal data of Indonesia Smart Card-College (KIPK) scholarship recipients who were deemed undeserving.
But what exactly is doxing? Doxing is a change in pronunciation of the abbreviation ‘docs’ which refers to the word ‘documents’. In the 1990s, the term doxing was taken from the slang word ‘dropping dox’, popular among hackers, describing a strategy of counterattacking an opponent using his personal data that was originally private to become public.
Today, doxing is a form of cyberbullying, where bullies spread other people’s personal data without permission with the aim of personally attacking certain parties.
IPB University psychologist, Dr Nur Islamiah, Psi said doxing not only takes away a person’s right to privacy, but also has the potential to cause discrimination, and other bullying activities such as verbal violence which can even lead to physical threats. Doxing can further impact a person’s mental health.
“Victims of cyberbullying including doxing usually experience psychological distress, including anxiety disorders, embarrassment, low self-esteem, and even depression (excessive fear). This is due to the disclosure of sensitive personal information to the public so that it is very possible for victims to get pressure and negative messages,” she explained.
Regarding the phenomenon of KIP-K scholarship recipients, according to him, everyone has the right to privacy. “Even if they are really guilty. There is a legal mechanism that applies and can be used to straighten out the form of violation that occurred,’ she explained.
“With the opening of personal data in cyberspace, it is feared that there will be violations of the use of personal information that can be detrimental. In addition, humiliating people in front of the public is certainly not a reflection of good ethics, and has a negative impact on the victim’s health, both physical and mental,’ she said.
She added, if you find irregularities like the current viral case, instead of doxing which leads to cyberbullying, it is better to report to the official complaint channel.
“Moreover, a good student must uphold academic values, one of which is always testing and questioning the truth of something, not participating in judging, especially in the absence of clear evidence,” she remarked.
To prevent the doxing phenomenon from recurring, the lecturer in Family and Consumer Sciences at IPB University advised the younger generation to continue learning, including understanding the negative impact of doxing behaviour, which can harm others, violate privacy and defame. In addition, doxing can also disrupt the mental health of its victims.
“Secondly, realise that every human being has a right to their privacy and doxing is unethical and harmful to others. This behaviour also has legal consequences for the perpetrator,” she said.
Third, she advised, avoid getting involved in online controversies that are not yet clear. This can trigger the urge to doxing. “Focus on positive and useful things, especially those related to personal growth, such as doing hobbies that you like, and developing your potential, talents and creativity. Personally, we still have a lot of room to improve. We should not be busy taking care of other people’s space,” said Dr Nur Islamiah, Psi.
In order to avoid being a victim of the spread of personal data, she also advised to use gadgets wisely. Share information as needed, not everything should be shared with the public, including sharing personal information.
Then be careful of phishing, which is when a party requests information via instant message or email without clear verification. ‘Finally, if you feel you are a victim of doxing, don’t hesitate to report it immediately to the authorities to resolve the problem,’ she concluded. (dh/Rz) (IAAS/RUM)
