A Security PSA - How Not to Get Doxxed

Here are some tips to keep yourself safe online. Feel free to add your own in the comments:

DO NOT AGREE TO OR ASK TO MEET UP WITH OTHER FDS WOMEN.

Don’t do it on the sub. Don’t do it in chat. Don’t do it on the Discord. Don’t do it anywhere.

I know it’s hard finding like-minded individuals who you can go to for support in real life. The best way to normalize the FDS mindset and hope that it gains traction among more women you know and trust is by spreading the word anonymously. We’re already on the radar of several major publications. The more this sub grows, the more likely you’ll eventually meet other women who share your views through safer, organic channels.

DO NOT GIVE YOUR REAL NAME OR LOCATION. EVER.

Pretty basic stuff. In most cases, your name, phone number, home address, occupation/employer, and other personal information is all likely publicly available and a simple Google search away. A dude on Hinge once refused to give me his last name. Based on only a first name, a rough idea of his job title, and a few photos, I found all of his personal information and and criminal record in a little over twenty minutes. To the shock of no one, he’d been arrested on domestic violence charges.

DO NOT SHOW YOUR FACE OR YOUR ENVIRONMENT.

Those of you who have seen Don’t Fuck with Cats know that the internet can find you based on nothing more than a pack of cigarettes and a fucking vacuum cleaner. Your environment gives away far more identifying information than you know.

KEEP YOUR INFORMATION ON LOCKDOWN. OBFUSCATE. OBFUSCATE. OBFUSCATE.

I tell a lot of personal stories on FDS. I ALWAYS change names/dates/ages/locations/occupations and all other information not completely relevant to the story. I don’t share my exact hobbies. All of that circumstantial information can be aggregated to get a good idea of who you are.

You should have an email address you use only for FDS. Do not add any personal information to the email address. Use a fake name and location. It’s easy to forget what kind of information you’re sharing when you’re posting in multiple locations.

BE CAREFUL WITH LINKS.

Do not click on links from sources you don’t trust! Phishing links and session hijacking can be used to steal your Reddit/Email/Facebook/Twitter/Bank and any other account details and gain access to your personal information. These can be disguised as emails from legitimate sources (emails are super easy to spoof), links in chat (you may have seen these on Facebook messenger from compromised accounts), or URLs in any other location.

STRIP METADATA FROM PHOTOS/VIDEOS.

If you absolutely must post photos... More people are becoming aware of this since the iPhone now has photo maps and sometimes shows the photo location above an image, but for those of you who don’t know… Most photos/videos you take with any camera (whether it’s your phone or a DSLR) automatically record information known as “metadata.” By default, metadata includes information on your camera, what settings were used, and also THE EXACT GPS LOCATION WHERE THE PHOTO WAS TAKEN. Reading metadata is super easy and can be done by anyone. In all my tests, the location provided by iPhone metadata was able to accurately identify the exact address of the sender. Still think posting selfies to that makeup or skincare sub is safe?