Doxxing

Meta’s oversight board suggested Facebook and Instagram to make strict doxxing rules. It urged Meta to consider doxxing as “severe,” that should prompt temporary account suspension.

Doxxing is publishing and analysing others’ personal information on the internet with a malicious intent that can reveal the person’s real identity making them victims of harassments and cyber attacks.

The board highlighted how doxxing is used to shame or punish people who would rather stay anonymous, because of their controversial beliefs or other types of non-mainstream activity.
It identified that most of the users are careless with the information we share on the Internet, that cybercriminals can use to find out our real identity and harass us.
It has asked Meta to implement strict regulations on publishing and sharing personal information like an individual’s residential address that can easily identify people and make them targets for those with malicious intent.

Doxxing can result in emotional distress, loss of employment and even physical harm or death.

Major Laws/Judgments on Privacy

European Union

The European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)– It reflects a paradigm shift in the understanding of the relationship individuals have with their personal data, granting the citizen substantial rights in his/her interaction with data controllers (those who determine why and how data is collected such as a government or private news website), and data processors (those who process the data on behalf of controllers, such as an Indian IT firm to which an E.U. firm has outsourced its data analytics).

India

- Puttaswamy judgement (2017) puts the right to privacy is a fundamental right
- The Information TechnologyAct (2000- Section 43A and Section 72A,- a right to compensation for improper disclosure of personal information.
- The Personal Data Protection Bill- The bill notes that “the right to privacy is a fundamental right”.

The Aadhar act – Section 13- makes the processing of personal data without a person’s consent possible for any function of the Parliament or State Legislature.

To read more about social medias and privacy concerns: https://officerspulse.com/privacy-social-media/

https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/strict-anti-doxxing-policies-for-meta/article65045902.ece

Today Current Affairs Upsc Exam Syllabus & Previous Yearpaper.