Can You Get Doxxed On PlayStation?

Doxxing is a pretty common occurrence now. One study shows that 21% of Americans have experienced doxxing. As more and more social media platforms join the global village sphere and more applications try to integrate a social component to their services, doxxing has become more common than before.

In the gaming world, doxxing isn't such a new face. 20% of doxxing cases come from gaming. Hardcore gamers have been doxxing and SWATting themselves for ages. One popular doxxing story involved Swatting which led to a gamer's death.

So, if you're worried about being doxxed on PlayStation, then you have the right concerns.

People get doxxed on other gaming platforms but can you get doxxed on PlayStation?

Yes, you can. The way PlayStation and every other online platform are designed and interconnected, you can get doxxed on practically anyone. It's all a matter of how well you protect your personal information from the public.

Why People Get Doxxed On PlayStation

You might be wondering why people get doxxed on PlayStation. There are quite a few reasons. One of them is Rivalry.

On social media platforms, doxxing usually occurs because someone disagrees with something another person said or someone else's opinions. On gaming platforms like PlayStation, rivalry is the strong force behind many doxxing attempts. Some players doxx other rival players to remove the competition or as revenge for abuse.

Another strong reason why people get doxxed on PlayStation is cheating. There's nothing more painfull to a hardcore gamer than someone else who cheats to win. The cheated party might be angry enough to doxx the cheater.

Losing is another strong motivation for doxxing other players. Sore losers have been known to get back at the winners by doxxing them.

Other than these three reasons, people get doxxed for any number of personal reasons. Either way, getting doxxed on gaming platforms is very common.

Now you know you can get doxxed on PlayStation but how do people dox others? Is it all about exposing your IP address? Is your IP address even important or is there another way they're getting ahold of your information?

How people get doxxed on PlayStation

Knowing that you can get doxxed on PlayStation is as important as knowing how you can get doxxed. You can't protect yourself if you don't know how doxxers get to you.

First things first, let's dispel one common myth - the IP address myth. Your IP address is important information that can be used to track you down. However, it changes from time to time and isn't a very reliable way of getting to you.

In fact, most doxxers don't use your IP address to get to you. They track you down following clues and information they piece together about you.

Here's how you could be doxxed from PlayStation…

Doxxing a user from PlayStation starts with the user's gaming username. Most gamers are very attached to their gaming usernames and most likely have used them or mentioned them on other gaming platforms. The user's gamertag is the first thread. Pull it enough and other clues to the user's identity come tumbling out.

All the doxxer needs to do is be watchful on support pages, gaming forums, gaming events and other group chats. Sooner or later, the targeted user is bound to use their gamertags. They may not reveal their real names or any clues but they would still have revealed some information that the doxxer would find important.

Next, the doxxer monitors social media platforms such as Facebook, and Instagram, for mentions of the Target's gamertag. Although many players try hard to keep their gaming identities separate from their real life identities, they are unable to successfully make that distinction. With PlayStation's live streaming option, it's even more difficult to keep the two identities away from each other.

If the target has mentioned his gamertag on any of the social media platforms he's on, the doxxer can get access to his true identity. Depending on how careful the target is, the doxxer can get information about the target's real name, age, address, place of work, email, picture and phone number.

It's an easy slide to expose the information and hurt their target.

Now knowing how doxxers get your information, you should be more careful with your information.

How To Avoid Getting Doxxed On PlayStation

There are a couple things you can do to protect your privacy and information. They include the following:

• Protecting yourself through PlayStation's Privacy Settings
• Being Careful of the Information you put out there
• Restricting who has access to you on PlayStation
• Protecting yourself before Linking your PlayStation to any social media platform.

Protecting Yourself Through PlayStation's Privacy Settings

PlayStation isn't ignorant about the importance of privacy and they have some privacy features you should take advantage of.

With PlayStation's privacy settings you can control who has access to your activities and can communicate with you.

There are three categories to choose from in the privacy settings.

Gaming / Media
This category restricts who can see your recent activities and any recent media you share.

Personal Info / Messaging
The personal category is the most important in the privacy settings because it limits who has access to your real name and can communicate with you.

Friends / Connections
This category helps you restrict who has access to you, send you friend requests, see your own connections or follow your account. This category is important in limiting your profile from being accessible to just anyone.

Here’s how to change your privacy settings on PlayStation

On Web Browser

• Go to “Account Management” on a connected device
• Select the “PSN Privacy Settings”. Choose the feature you’d like to make changes to and click on the “Edit” button
• Choose who you’d like to give access to from the drop-down menu.
• Click on “Confirm”

Changing Preset Privacy Settings On PS5 Consoles

There are four preset profiles you can adjust your privacy levels to on the PS5. They include:

1. Social and Open:
This leaves your profile open to everyone and anyone can send you messages and requests.

2. Team Player
The team player profile allows any player to see most of your profile but only friends can send messages.

3. Friend Focused
This profile is open only to friends who can see your information and send you messages.

4. Solo and Focused
With this profile, no one including friends can see your information,or  invite you for a chat.  

With these privacy settings, you can protect who has access to your information.

Be Mindful Of The Information You Put Out There

Even with privacy settings on your playstation profile, you still have to be cautious of the information you put on your profile especially if your friends have access to your profile. Someone in your friends list could decide to doxx you and have access to the information on your profile.

Beyond your playstation account, censor the information you put out on your social media accounts as doxxers regularly use these social media platforms to find out more about you. Take advantage of the privacy settings on your other accounts to prevent getting doxxed. 32% of people changed their privacy settings on Instagram after getting doxxed.

Some important information you should consider leaving out of your social media include address, phone numbers, and check in information. These can be used to track you down.

Take Necessary Steps To Protect Yourself Before Linking Your Account To Social Media

PlayStation has a live streaming feature that allows players to live stream their games on social media platforms. As exciting as this sounds it's an avenue for you to share more information about yourself or link your PlayStation account to your social media account.

Before you live stream your game, check PlayStation's support page to know if there are any steps you can take to protect your privacy from doxxers.

Finally

Block Troublesome Players from Contacting you on PSN

Take advantage of the block feature that Playstation offers to block players that do not follow the guidelines of conduct and make you feel uncomfortable.

There's hardly any platform or network that doesn't pose some risk to the integrity of our personal information.PlayStation isn't an exception to this risk. Maintaining anonymity is close to impossible but there are ways you can avoid getting doxxed on PlayStation. Keep your information private and take advantage of the privacy profile settings PlayStation offers.