If you are involved in a conflicted divorce, you may feel angry about how you’ve been treated or the circumstances of your case. If you have a social media following or post regularly, you might even go as far as to talk about the case, even though you probably shouldn’t.
Something that could get you into trouble with the law during your divorce is online doxing. If you are complaining about your spouse and state where they work or give away their home address to the public in the hope that people will harass them, you could be doxing them.
What is doxing, and why is it a crime?
Doxing is when you disclose information about a person that isn’t necessarily public knowledge. Going onto an online forum and “anonymously” posting a user’s name and address, for example, may be an example of doxing, especially if it leads to harassment or stalking.
Not all cases of releasing information about another person is doxing, but if you disclose information about your spouse to people who otherwise would not have access to it, then you could end up facing penalties. Even if you don’t face criminal charges for releasing their private personal information online, it will not look good during a divorce if the judge can see that you took steps to harass or harm your spouse.
Doxing is usually done with the intention to humiliate, harass or intimidate another person, which is not something you want to be accused of doing during a divorce. To make your case stronger, the method that tends to work best is to be respectful and to show a judge that you’re willing to work with the other person. Stalking, harassing or releasing personal information to the internet will not reflect well on you or your case.
Divorces are often upsetting and may be complex to deal with, but remember that your actions may come back to hurt you. It’s better to work with your attorney to discuss ways to minimize conflict during your divorce rather than doing things to “get back” at your spouse. Doing this will help you seem reasonable and mature, which goes much further in supporting your wishes during the case.