𝟏-𝟖𝟎𝟎-𝐆𝐎𝐃-𝐒𝐀𝐊𝐈

Over the past few days I’ve been harassed via anonymous asks from someone who is attempting to dox me. In addition to revealing personal information about other people, they have been hinting at my location, my browser, and tried multiple ways to try and grab my IP address.

I know talking about Internet security isn’t fun by any means, but I urge you all to listen and ensure you’re keeping your information safe. Please be wary of what you share on this site and on discord, with people you’ve met, with friends you’ve made online. It is unfortunate to say, but you truly don’t know who is on the other side of the screen.

IF YOU ARE BEING THREATENED AND HARASSED VIA ANON DO NOT DELETE THE ASKS. DO NOT ANSWER. SCREENSHOT THEM AND SEND THEM AS PROOF TO TUMBLR STAFF. Let staff know that you are unable to flag the message like they suggest as it is on anon. Hopefully they’ll be able to help you out, or at the very least if enough messages like this crop up they will look to protect our information and data better than they are now.

AFTER YOU HAVE MESSAGED STAFF FILE A REPORT WITH YOUR GOVERNMENT AND APPROPRIATE LEGAL ENFORCEMENT ESTABLISHMENTS ACCORDING TO YOUR JURISDICTION. The screenshots will come in handy here as well!

GOVERNMENT OF CANADA - YOU WILL HAVE TO CALL YOUR LOCAL POLICE TO FILE A REPORT IN ADDITION TO SUBMITTING THIS FORM

APPROPRIATE USA FEDERAL INVESTIGATIVE BUREAUS TO CONTACT

FOR USA: REPORT THE CYBERCRIME TO CISA

HOW TO REPORT A CYBERCRIME IN THE UK - THEY PROVIDE A NUMBER YOU CAN CALL IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING IT

Here’s a few methods that you can take to protect yourself and the people around you as they did allude to being able to do so through people they’ve already hacked.

1. USE A VPN. Proton VPN is free, and you can download browsers such as Opera and TorBrowser to protect yourself. Ensure that if you have a VPN downloaded that you have the option to run as soon as you turn on your laptop, and to automatically connect! If you’re like me and tend to forget, this is a lifesaver. You may have to submit captchas more frequently, but in my opinion it’s a small price to pay for peace of mind!

Keep it running when you send asks, DMs, go on discord, whatever.

EDIT 11/5/2021: If somebody has your IP address they only have your general location within about 30 miles!

2. Try to limit use on Tumblr to desktop with the VPN and private browser running - the doxxer was able to see the system my phone was running on as well as my IP.

EDIT 11/5/2021: Look into downloading an app to protect your phone such as BitDefender Mobile Security which will provide a VPN and web security protection for ~$14/month!

3. Download an AntiVirus program! It will help detect any malicious spyware - Google to find a reputable program that works for you and your budget. Bitdefender and Norton are two great options.

EDIT 11/5/2021: If you’re worried your computer has been compromised, you can do a hard factory reset!

4. Enable Two Factor Authentication on everything. There are a bunch of free authenticator apps you can download onto your phone (Google, Microsoft, etc). You also have the option of using your phone or email - whatever works for you! For an extra level of security, make sure to end any existing/currently running sessions before you set it up.

5. Change your passwords and make sure you write them down in a physical location, not saved on your phone or computer! Again - end any running sessions before you do so!

6. Don’t click any suspicious links! Don’t click links in asks! I mentioned this before, but this or another person tried to grab my IP through a hyperlink in an ask - copy and paste it into your notes to see what the actual URL is before you click! If it’s a shortened link (bit. ly, etc.) ask them to resend with the full link. Better to be annoyed with a long string of letters and numbers than to have your IP tracked.

EDIT 11/5/2021: If you are concerned about the legitimacy of a link you can always type in https://google.com/safebrowsing/diagnostic?site= into your search bar followed by the link provided! 

If they sent a shortened URL, check it at checkshorturl.com

If they sent an encoded URL, check it at urldecoder.com

7. DO NOT POST PHOTOS YOU TOOK DIRECTLY FROM YOUR PHONE. There will be data attached that can pinpoint your location! Same with videos! Please be careful! If you absolutely want to post a personal photo, screenshot the picture and then post it! You can pop it into a draft on your phone and then switch to desktop to finish up, or Google how to scrub data from photos and videos before posting!!

EDIT 11/5/2021: Make sure that your social media is PRIVATE or at the very least is not associated with the email address you have for your tumblr! Try not to post photos that have been also posted on your social media! 

8. USE A PSEUDONYM. They might be addressing you, but if it’s not even close to your real name it will give you an extra layer of comfort. NEVER give out personal information no matter how much they harass you. You might confirm something they’re only speculating on or give them information they didn’t have - do your best to ignore, block, and report when possible.

9. BE AWARE OF WHAT STILL HOLDS YOUR DATA. Are you sending a TikTok link? Make sure your username isn’t attached to it! Copy and paste the URL into a browser and then delete everything after the video’s ID (a string of numbers). Are you sharing a Google doc with your online friend? Make sure it’s not off your personal account!

Are you sending a photo of your license to someone? Blur out your photo, address, ID number, and middle and last names! Legitimate discord server owners should only be asking for proof of your DOB! Are you talking about school? Hobbies? Landmarks? Know that these can provide an idea of where you’re currently residing! Taking a photo of your car for some reason? Blur the license plate! Street signs! If there are signs from political canvassing in the area, blur those out too! I would say never post a photo of the area you live in or your neighbourhood - there are too many things that can appear in the background that people can use to find you. Don’t describe yourself if there are distinctive attributes in your appearance!

10. USE A DIFFERENT EMAIL WHEN SIGNING UP FOR SITES/ACCOUNTS ASSOCIATED TO YOUR PSEUDONYM. Create a new one for writing. Don’t put your personal name on there. If you end up having to change pseuds, you can easily alter it to reflect whatever name you would like to be called! Using your personal email address gives doxxers another potential avenue. Similarly with kofi - as a content creator when you tip it will reveal your first and last name if you don’t have a separate paypal account set up! IF YOU CHOOSE TO TIP ON KOFI MAKE SURE THE PERSON YOU ARE TIPPING IS SOMEONE THAT YOU TRUST. I know that’s a little strange to say after everything I just wrote, but use your gut.

EDIT 12/22/2021:

11. If they are bothering you about “unencrypted ports” on your router don’t worry. This information is accessible if they have your IP address as they can run a network scan to determine this. You can fix this by ensuring that your wifi encryption is either WPA2 or WPA2-PSK with AES encryption (not TKIF) by logging into your router settings!

if you can’t be bothered to tag your fics right, don’t bother posting them at all. it’s not fun to scroll through one specific tag and find a million fics that just don’t belong there. it’s already hard enough to find male!reader content anywhere—you don’t have to take the small space that we do have away from us too by tagging fem!reader fics with male!reader, which you do just to get more reads. and it might end up giving you a few more readers, but the feedback will ultimately be bad. we’ve complained about this so fucking much already and i’m sick and tired of people having to practically beg for a space on this platform. it’s so fucking annoying. i understand that sometimes you accidentally click on the wrong tag or don’t read it correctly and that can happen and that’s fine, but at least check the tags before / after you’ve posted????

why should you change it?

When you guys pop up in our notifications, most seasoned tumblr users will suspect you’re a bot and block on sight.

why do we block immediately?

tumblr has a history of bots trying to infiltrate and establish a connection to a valid, existing blog in order to populate google searches. Simply liking or reblogging a post, not just adding a scam link to it, establishes this connection. Tumblr users don’t want this to happen, especially if it’s a scammy p*rn bot. So, we often block on sight.

So now I have to reblog stuff AND change my pfp?

Well, of course that’s up to you! I just want to explain why you may have been already blocked by an artist/blogger you may have discovered recently, and how you can avoid it in the future.

Reblogging does help creators more than likes because your reblogs will show up on the dash of those that may follow you. Plus, reblogging puts that post on your own blog, and in case the original gets deleted or edited by the OP, it’ll be on your blog like that–forever (or until you delete your blog). Nice.

Here are some free icons created by catalyststuff on freepik. Highly recommend their art for a simple replacement!

So you have your ask.

STEP ONE: Highlight the word “block”

STEP TWO: Right click the word block.

STEP THREE: Click “View Selection Source”

STEP FOUR: Something like this should pop up:

Highlight the “IP” (the blacked out part). STEP FIVE: Copy the IP address and paste it to this website: http://whatismyipaddress.com/ip-lookup

SO I tried it out myself with my friends and here is how to do it with the updated Tumblr:

USE FIREFOX FOR THIS!!

1. Right click the anon photo 

2. Select the view page source (refresh if it is not clickable)

3. The second page will pop up and you want to hit “Crtl + F” then type “submitted”.

4. It should show you the URL of the person who sent it in blue. (highlight below)

And there you are!! The URL of the person who sent you hate!

Do what is in your best interest and just simply block them.

@

KOKONOI AND IZANA WITH PONYTAILS ARE >>>>>>>>>>>😳😳🥵∑(ﾟДﾟ)🔥

extremely time consuming. Remember someone actually took time out of their life to create that, time they could’ve used to, idk, sleep, for example

entertainment you’re consuming for free. I can’t stress this enough: you’re enjoying someone else’s craft for free. You paid exactly zero money to look at/read/watch it.

S H A R E D  with you, not made for you. This is the most important point: someone created that, put it online and you found it. No one forced you to consume that fanwork, you C H O S E  to do it.