Doxxing and Swatting Remain Ongoing Issues in Wisconsin: Growing Concerns for Public Safety

Protecting children online is a top priority. Last year, the FBI issued multiple warnings about the growing risks of doxing. More recently, the agency took to X (formerly Twitter) to bring attention to this rising threat. While anyone can become a victim, the FBI pointed out certain groups that are more frequently targeted. It's important for kids to understand that doxing isn’t just a harmless prank to play on friends.

This issue has been steadily increasing across the United States, impacting communities from coast to coast. While it may seem far removed, it has the potential to occur anywhere, regardless of location or socio-economic background. No community is exempt from the risks tied to this problem, which can affect urban, suburban, or rural areas equally.

Doxxing In Wisconsin

In short, doxxing is the result of someone leaking all your private info onto the internet for others to see. The full answer is as follows,

Doxxing (also spelled “doxing”) is the act of revealing someone’s personal information online. Doxxing is a form of online harassment that means publicly exposing someone’s real name, address, job, or other identifying info without a victim’s consent. 

Swatting In Wisconsin

In short, Swatting is using info gathered about you to make a fake police call claiming something bad is happening at the location you are currently at. The full answer is as follows,

Swatting is a criminal harassment act of deceiving an emergency service (via such means as hoaxing an emergency services dispatcher) into sending a police or emergency service response team to another person's address. This is triggered by false reporting of a serious law enforcement emergency, such as a bomb threat, murder, hostage situation, or a false report of a mental health emergency, such as reporting that a person is allegedly suicidal or homicidal and may or may not be armed, among other things

Keep in mind that these actions are illegal. If a child engages in this behavior toward a friend or someone they dislike, they could face legal consequences. Stay safe and make smart choices!