So you're fine if I post your SSN on this site? And let's assume the mods also co-sign that decision in this hypothetical, so you're okay with your PII being out there for anyone (and I mean anyone) to see and use? You wouldn't even try to subpoena Y Combinator for my information on file such as my IP logs and email address (necessary for registration) to serve me notice? I seriously doubt that. I'm sure you would lawyer up rather quickly and probably contact the mods here to have my comment deleted and my account permanently banned. So don't pretend you're some kind of "information wants to be free" maximalist because when it comes down to it, we all want privacy and no one should be using the Internet as a cudgel to gain compliance from anyone when you can just leave well alone. But it seems you're fine with Kiwi Farms literally posting SSNs, bank balances, passwords to accounts, and much more. The contradictions in your mind must border on some kind of Escher print.

> But it seems you're fine with Kiwi Farms literally posting SSNs, bank balances, passwords to accounts, and much more.

Small correction, this doesn't happen on Kiwi Farms. Kiwi Farms is focused on discussing much more mundane, public drama. Just interactions between people, mostly on public social media like Twitter, Youtube and others. Things like hacking, private financial information, DDoSing, swatting, are all heavily policed on Kiwi Farms. Additionally, directly interacting with the subject of a thread on Kiwi Farms is also bannable.

Their ethos is watching monkeys in the zoo, not going out and poking them themselves.

There's actual shady forums out there that do those illegal things, generally hosted in foreign countries or behind Tor.

Your correction is incorrect. People have shown forum posts by users posting passwords, bank balances, and SSNs. They called the SSNs 'Minecraft numbers' to try to skirt any moderation attempts, so don't try to sweep this stuff under the rug. Their users are doing this and their mods know it. They only delete such information an attempt to put a fig leaf on the matter. Too little, too late.

I'm not sure how you jumped to that conclusion from my post. If I have reason to believe that you committed a crime by acquiring and posting my SSN and I was victimized by it, I would try to get restitution, sure. I don't see how that's in conflict with what I've previously said, though; if a crime was committed by someone doxing someone else on KF, that person is free to subpoena KF and try to bring the doxer to justice. Go for it.

But before you do, you should make sure that a crime was actually committed, and mere criticism, or sharing information you posted yourself, or sharing information which can be found via the 21st-century equivalent of a phone book, is not criminal in the United States. And that's usually what a "dox" is; very rarely does it involve hacking into government databases or something like that.

I am saying that if someone is harassing you when you haven't done anything to them, it should be pretty OK to tell others about the harassment and others should be able to say "I'm not going to interact / do business with that jerk."

"Beliefs and practices" is, again, leaving aside the "who swung first" aspect. Have all the beliefs and practices you want that don't involve harassing others. If your beliefs are homophobic/transphobic/racist/sexist/etc and you choose to then "practice" those beliefs by harassing people you don't like, you swung first and you shouldn't be surprised if society looks down on you for it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradox_of_tolerance