Trolling and Doxxing

The safety of our campus community is a top priority. On occasion, social media interactions may escalate to perceived or real threats to people, facilities or intellectual property on our campus.

Trolling and doxxing are online attacks in which a person, usually anonymously, engages in harassment, threats or the release of personal information. If you or someone you know is the target of trolling or doxxing, please know there are university resources to help.

What to Do:

  • If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 911.
  • FACULTY: Report any online harassment, threats or disclosure of personal information to your department chair and MUPD (non-emergency number: 573-882-7201).
  • STAFF: Report any online harassment, threats or disclosure of personal information to your supervisor and MUPD (non-emergency number: 573-882-7201).

What to Consider:

  • Don’t engage with the attacker(s) online. You may contact your unit communicator and/or IT pro for support in removing bios, photos and contact information from university-related public web sites and directories.
  • Consider deactivating, deleting or not posting on your personal social media accounts for a few days.
  • Turn off location services on your social media apps on all your devices.
  • Consider using a private VPN that masks your location.
  • Even in posts limited to family and friends, refrain from posting any location information (e.g., posting pictures from a dinner out that identifies the restaurant).
  • Don’t engage with the media. If you are contacted by members of the media, refer them to Mizzou Media Relations and Public Affairs.
  • Save all emails, voice messages, texts, social media messages, etc. relevant to the threat in case they are needed for internal or external investigations. Consider allowing a trusted person in IT or HR to do this if you don’t want to see the messages.
  • If the circumstances are impacting your work environment, speak to your supervisor or department chair.
  • Talk to a health care provider for support managing stress or anxiety. Key resources provided by the university include:
    • Employee Assistance Program: The Employee Assistance Program (EAP), provided by Optum’s Live and Work Well program, offers emotional wellbeing solutions for employees and their household members. These resources to support emotional wellness include tools, resources, counseling services and access to the Calm and Calm Health apps.

As a reminder, our social media guidelines can be found on our identity page.