*This article has been posted on The Star and was written by Ming Teoh.

It began with a breakup. After that, the anonymous phone calls started coming in.

“Men started calling me, asking if I was free for some ‘extra-curricular activities’,” recalls Farah Ho, 36, still unsettled by the memory. “They knew my full name and where I lived. It was terrifying.”

Ho later discovered that her phone number, along with her name, address and suggestive language, had been posted on an anonymous forum thread.

The message read: “For a good time, call …” followed by her details. It didn’t take long to realise she had been doxxed.

“Doxxing is when someone publicly shares your private or personal information – such as home address, phone number or workplace – without your consent,” explains Nabila Nasir, partner and director at Kryss Network, a Malaysian NGO working to create safer online spaces.

“The intent is usually to shame, threaten or cause harm by exposing you to real-world risks.”

Unlike trolling, which is usually limited to online comments or provocation, doxxing breaches the boundary between the digital and physical worlds.

“It’s much more dangerous because it can lead to stalking, threats and even physical harm,” Nabila adds.

Victims may feel unsafe in their own homes. “Once your information is out there, it’s almost impossible to take it back,” she cautions.

A trail of trauma

For Ho, the violation wasn’t just digital. “I felt disgusted and powerless. I didn’t know who to turn to at first,” she says.

While she suspected her ex-boyfriend was behind it, she had no proof.

Eventually, she confided in a close friend, who urged her to report the incident to the police and reach out to a women’s rights organisation for support. While the post was eventually taken down, Ho says the trauma remains.

For 28-year-old Syed Z, the nightmare came via WhatsApp. A friend told him that his personal details – name, IC number, age and workplace, and a photo from his social media with some comments – were being forwarded around.

“I had no idea who started it or why. But the message had already been shared so many times,” Syed says. “Now even strangers I’ve never met have all my information. It’s a complete invasion of privacy.”

This sense of powerlessness is familiar to many victims. In some cases, doxxing is a targeted act; in others, it spreads through casual forwarding and resharing.

Legal Protection

Until recently, doxxing existed in a grey area under Malaysian law. But in July, amendments to the Penal Code officially recognised it as a criminal offence.

This means that sharing someone’s private information online, with intent to cause distress or harassment, is now punishable by law.

“It’s now illegal to publish someone’s private information online with the intent to harass, alarm or cause distress,” she explains.

“This means that you have clearer legal recourse if you’ve been targeted – and it also means you should think twice before sharing or forwarding sensitive information about others.”

“This is a major step forward,” says Nabila. “It gives victims more legal protection and sends a clear message: just because you can find and share someone’s details doesn’t mean you should.”

She stresses that even if the person forwarding information didn’t intend harm, they could still be liable.

A culture of forwarding

One of the most alarming parts of Syed’s experience was how easily the message spread.

“Someone, somewhere, decided to share my details. But after that, it just kept getting forwarded. No one stopped to question whether it was okay.”

Nabila cautions that this kind of mindless digital behaviour is part of the problem.

“We’ve normalised forwarding and sharing without considering the consequences. Just because you can share something doesn’t mean you should.”

But not all doxxing cases are clear-cut. A recent viral incident involving a kiss-cam moment at a Coldplay concert in Boston, USA, raised similar questions. Two individuals were filmed snuggling on screen and their identities were soon leaked online, sparking widespread public commentary.

“Even if it happened in public and one of them is a known public figure, that doesn’t mean they consented to having their names, jobs or families dragged into the spotlight, or their identities exposed in a way that invites harassment,” says Nabila.

What to do

KRYSS Network has developed an Online Gender-Based Violence Resource Toolkit to guide victims through the steps they can take in the event of suspected doxxing.

Here are the key actions Nabila recommends:

• Document everything: Take screenshots, copy URLs, note timestamps.
• Report the content: File complaints with social media platforms or website administrators.
• File a police report: Now that the law recognises doxxing, victims have stronger legal footing.
• Reach out for support: NGOs and digital rights organisations can offer advice and mental health resources.
• Tell someone: Alerting trusted friends, family or even your employer can help protect your safety.

“You are not alone and help is available,” she says.

Safer digital spaces

Ho still lives with some anxiety about her “online presence”, but says she’s regained some control. “I’ve become a lot more careful. I changed my number. I adjusted all my privacy settings. But the experience stays with me.”

As online interactions continue to be in our everyday lives, the risk of digital harm is growing. Nabila urges everyone, from casual users and influencers to corporate companies, to take responsibility for the content they share.

“Digital harm is not just a tech issue – it’s a human rights issue. The Internet can be a powerful tool for connection, but we need to protect one another, not weaponise it.”

Read the full article here