Doxxing, defamation, harassment: your rights and the actions to defend yourself
- Admin
- Dec 9, 2025
- 5 min read
Understand and reaffirm your rights
When someone is subjected to online harassment , defamation , or bullying, the same feeling always returns: fear, dismay, and the sensation of losing control. It's as if a piece of your privacy has suddenly been stolen, exposed to everyone's view.
This first moment is brutal . It's unsettling. It makes you waver.
But even if everything seems to be collapsing, one thing remains true:
You are not powerless. You have rights. And you can exercise them.
After this initial shock, take a breath, a step back. We also recommend reading our supplementary guide: " Psychological and Legal Guide for Victims of Doxxing and Cyberbullying , " which helps to understand the emotional impact of these situations.
Emotional detachment: a survival tactic
Before taking action, try as much as possible to detach yourself emotionally . Not to deny what you feel — your emotions are perfectly legitimate — but to give yourself the clarity needed to move forward.
Imagine you're handling this case for someone else , as if you were a court-appointed lawyer. This slight mental shift often helps reduce stress and allows you to follow the procedure with greater composure.
If the emotion becomes too overwhelming, ask for help. From a loved one, a professional, or an organization like ours. You don't have to go through this alone.
Legal preamble: the GDPR, your bulwark
The GDPR gives you a fundamental right, simple in principle, immense in scope:
You have the right to decide the life or death of your personal data.
This includes:
your name,
your first name,
your address,
your emails,
your phone numbers,
your login details,
your photos,
any information that could allow you to be identified.
Whether this data comes from a social network, a forum, a misused public database or a foreign website, it makes no difference: you have the right to demand its deletion.
The entire process is based on a gradual and methodical rise, a legitimate legal escalation , step by step.
1. Contact the site administrators
This is the first step, the simplest one.
Browse the site, locate:
a contact form,
an email address,
the “Legal Notices” page
the “Terms and Conditions” page.
Write to them politely but firmly. Clearly identify the content in question and invoke your rights under the GDPR.
2. Contact the website host
If the site ignores you, proceed to the next step: the hosting provider .
This refers to the company that technically hosts the website on its servers. It has legal obligations: it must act if it is informed of illegal content.
How do I find a web host?
It's very simple:
1) Obtain the site's IP address
Go here: 👉 https://www.iplocation.net/
Enter the domain name. You will see one or more IP addresses appear.
2) Identify the hosting provider
Copy one of these IP addresses, then go here: 👉 https://ipinfo.io/
There you will see:
the name of the hosting provider,
his contact details,
and very often the address abuse@ to contact.
What should you include in your message?
When you write to the hosting provider:
Copy the site administrators who ignored you (this creates a legitimate pressure effect).
invoke the GDPR ,
invoke the LCEN (Law for Confidence in the Digital Economy), which requires hosting providers to promptly remove manifestly illegal content.
Here are the typical formulations to add:
GDPR notice:
"In accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR – articles 12, 17 and 21), I request the immediate deletion of my personal data disseminated without my consent."
LCEN mention:
"Under the LCEN (articles 6.I-2 and 6.I-3), you have an obligation to promptly remove illegal content as soon as you become aware of it. I therefore formally demand that you take action."
3. Contact the registrar (domain registration office)
If the site and the hosting provider drag their feet or refuse to act, you contact the registrar.
The registrar manages the domain name , not the content. However, it can suspend a domain if it is used to distribute illegal content.
How do I find the registrar?
Simply go here: 👉 https://who.is
You will find there:
the registrar,
his contact details,
and often the dedicated abuse@ email address.
In your message to the registrar:
Remember:
the violation of the GDPR,
the obligations of the LCEN,
and the strengthened case law since the Samuel Paty case , which imposes increased vigilance on technical actors whenever content may harm an identified person.
4. File a complaint with the CNIL
If, despite everything, the situation persists, you can contact the CNIL , the French authority responsible for enforcing rights related to personal data.
The CNIL can:
force a website to delete your data,
to compel a foreign actor to comply,
to sanction a manager,
or impose an immediate withdrawal.
This is the final step in a methodical, legitimate procedure, entirely based on your rights.
5. Tips and Counterattacks
Objections: how to respond calmly and firmly
Along your journey, you will encounter several types of reactions:
✔ Some will delete immediately, without even replying
It's common, and perfect . Look no further.
✔ Some will never respond
Simply continue the escalation (hosting provider → registrar → CNIL).
✔ Others will try fallacious arguments
You will sometimes hear:
"This is public information; you published it yourself."
"It's freedom of expression."
"It's up to you to prove that this isn't true."
"We do not control the content."
Here's what you need to remember:
They may not control the content itself, but they control its distribution. And that is what makes them responsible.
Some will respond with feigned confidence, or deliberately confusing speeches intended to discourage victims.
Never engage in these toxic arguments.
✔ Your only response must remain legal and concise.
Just remember:
GDPR – Key articles to cite:
Article 12 : Right to a simple and transparent procedure.
Article 17 : Right to erasure (“right to be forgotten”).
Article 21 : Right to object to data processing.
LCEN – Key articles to cite:
Article 6.I-2 : Liability of hosting providers when they are informed of illegal content.
Article 6.I-3 : obligation to promptly remove manifestly illegal content.
You don't argue. You state your position. Then you wait.
After the 4 steps: repeat as many times as necessary
Don't get discouraged. Repeat these steps as many times as necessary for 30 days .
And do it with a smile if you can: you become the “administrative harasser” in turn, but for a just cause: your right to be forgotten.
Send follow-up messages. File multiple abuse complaints. Be persistent. Be determined, calm, and persistent.
That's how we eventually get our way.
TIP: A surprising but very effective tip
For French companies:
Leave a number where you can be reached.
If you do not wish to expose your own number, use a relay number (legal services exist for this).
Why? Because sometimes, when you send:
GDPR requests,
LCEN complaints
emails to the hosting provider,
emails to the registrar…
…the manager eventually calls you to negotiate .
Yes, that happens often.
Thanks to this direct contact, we have sometimes obtained:
an immediate deletion over the phone
or, failing that,
masking sensitive data ,
plus delisting via the tag:
<meta name="robots" content="noindex">
It's a victory. And it's perfectly legitimate.
You are not alone — and you will never again be a silent victim
This whole process is not a fight against a wall: it is a step towards reclaiming your place, your privacy, your dignity .
You have rights. You have recourse. And, above all, you have allies.
Our association WAAD is here to support you, step by step, both personally and legally.
With you. For you. And for as long as it takes.
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