Doxing Policy
Policy Statement
The mission and values of the University of San Francisco empower us as a community to hold each other accountable to be persons for and with others, to care for our common home, including the native lands on which our campuses reside, and to promote the common good by critically, thoughtfully, and innovatively addressing inequities to create a more humane and just world.
As such, we, as a community, must respect others’ rights to keep their personal information private. At USF, we value three things in particular: cura personalis, being people for others, and diversity in all its forms. In line with our core values, it is imperative that USF community members respect the right of others to keep their personal information private.
Accordingly, it is a violation of this policy if any USF community member knowingly make private information about another USF community member available:
- With the intent to threaten, intimidate, or incite the commission of a crime against the individual; or
- With the intent or knowledge that the private information could be used to threaten, intimidate, or facilitate the commission of a crime against the individual.
For purposes of this policy, the following definitions are applicable.
- Private information is information that identifies a person that the individual has not made readily available to the public; or information that the person has not authorized another person or organization to make readily available to the public.
- Private information can include, but is not limited to, non-directory information under the university’s FERPA policy; directory information for students who have opted out of providing public directory information; unlisted telephone numbers, email addresses, and physical or mailing addresses; and images, video, or sound recordings that are used to appropriate, distribute, share, or use someone’s identifying personal information or documents without the subject’s permission or published without the copyright holder’s permission.
- However, private information does not include the following: information that is defined as public as a matter of law, regulation, or policy; information regarding a person’s public activities; or information related to a person’s activity in a public forum.
The enforcement of this policy is not designed to prohibit lawful speech.
How to Report
While reporting to the SFPD is permissible and suggested in certain instances, it is encouraged that initial reports of doxing at the University of San Francisco be directed to the Office of Student Conduct, Rights, and Responsibilities and the Department of Public Safety.
If you or those close to you are in imminent physical danger or there has been a direct threat of physical violence, you should immediately call 415-422-2911 if on campus. For all other locations you should immediately call 911 and inform the Department of Public Safety as soon as possible thereafter.
If there is no immediate physical threat but you have received a threat to your personal safety or feel you have been criminally harassed, you should call the Department of Public Safety at 415-422-4201.
In addition to contacting the DPS, you can report being targeted/doxed to:
The Office of Student Conduct, Rights, and Responsibilities
The Office of the Dean of Students
Human Resources (If the individual who doxed you is USF Faculty or Staff)
Delist from University Directories
If you are concerned that online harassers can find you on campus or use your USF email or phone number to direct harmful communications to you, you may request that some or all of your personal information be removed from University directories.
The Website Privacy Statement includes information about the "delisting" process. Under the Your Access and Choice section of the privacy statement, it states: “You can ask to review, update, or make changes to the personal information we maintain about you, or exercise your option of having your personal information discarded without reuse or distribution, by sending a written request to the address included in the How to contact USF section.”