Creators

A doxxing response plan: the first hours and what follows

Updated: 2026-08-17 Holdwise editorial team

If someone publishes your private details, save the evidence first. Then report it to the police and the platform, and ask sites and search engines to remove the material. Doxxing means publishing someone's private details with the intent of harming them. It is a separate criminal offence in the Netherlands. A plan written in advance helps you act calmly in the first hours. At Holdwise, we keep this answer up to date and change it when the rules change.

Hour one: save the evidence

Save everything before anything is deleted. Take full screenshots that show the address bar and the date and time, and save the links and the names of the accounts involved. When the material is deleted, the evidence is gone too, so save it before you ask for removal. Keep the file somewhere other than your work computer.

Hour two: report and notify

Police. File a report and bring the file with the evidence. In the Netherlands, doxxing is a separate criminal offence.
The platform. Report the content under the platform rules on personal information. This is usually the fastest way to get it removed.
The people around you. Tell your household, your editor and the reception at your workspace. Anyone who might get a call or a visitor should know.

Day one: removal requests

Under European privacy law, you have the right to ask search engines to remove results that show your personal data. Send removal requests to the sites that host the material, and name the exact pages. Keep a record of what you sent and when. You often have to send a request more than once, and the record shows your earlier requests.

Week one: make your details harder to find

Relocate the company visiting address away from home if that is where it is registered: deciding your address.
Ask the municipality to restrict the sharing of your residential data with third parties.
Change passwords, switch on two-factor authentication everywhere, and check which old accounts still show your address.
Check what your own posts, photos and videos show about where you live and when you are away.

How to prevent doxxing

Most published details come from ordinary sources, such as an old registration, a domain record, a company address or a photo with a recognisable view. Check these sources in advance, while you are calm, and remove what you can. Then there is much less material to use against you later. For the registers, see who can see what. If one person is behind it, read if you have a stalker.

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Frequently asked questions

Is doxxing punishable in the Netherlands? +

Yes. Publishing someone's personal details with the intent to harm them is a separate criminal offence. The process starts when you file a police report with the saved evidence.

What comes first when it happens? +

Saving the evidence. Take full screenshots that show the address bar and the date and time, and save the links. Do this before the material is deleted, because the evidence is deleted with it.

Can I get my details out of search results? +

Yes. Under European privacy law, you can ask search engines to remove results with your personal data. You can also ask the sites that host the material to remove it.