Don't ask AI to find personal info on real people

AI can sometimes pull together public info about a person fast — name, school, parents, address. Doing this to harass, threaten, or 'expose' someone is called doxxing, and it gets people hurt in real life. It's also a crime in many places.

Some examples

• Asking AI to 'find where this Instagram user lives' is doxxing.
• Compiling info on a teacher you don't like is doxxing.
• Sharing a person's school + schedule online is doxxing.
• Even if the info is technically public, weaponizing it is the crime.

Try it!

If you've ever felt curious to 'investigate' someone with AI, ask yourself: what would this person feel if they knew? That's your answer.

Practice this safely

Try this with a school, hobby, or family example where the stakes are low. Use the AI output as a draft you can question, not as the final answer.

1. 1Ask AI to explain doxxing in plain language, then underline anything that sounds uncertain or too broad.
2. 2Give it one detail from "Don't ask AI to find personal info on real people" and ask for two possible next steps plus one reason each step might be wrong.
3. 3Check harassment against a trusted source, teacher, adult, expert, or original document before you use it.