Doxxing, the act of seeking and disclosing targets’ personal information due to their alleged misconduct, has emerged as a form of digital vigilantism. Regarded as an informal punishment, doxxing often results in public shaming and is perceived by doxxers as a means of seeking justice (Lee, 2020; Garcés-Conejos Blitvich, 2021). In Hong Kong, doxxing became a criminal offense in 2021, a decision that faced public criticism due to ambiguities in the laws. This paper presents findings from a government-funded project on doxxing discourses in Hong Kong, focusing on the use of microaggression and linguistic innovation to mitigate harm and legal consequences, thereby normalizing doxxing.

 Sociolinguistics research on doxxing remains limited, despite its increasing scholarly attention. Through critical discourse analysis of online interactions (43 forum posts, 28,943 comments), three focus group interviews, and five individual interviews, this study reveals linguistic practices of microaggression that normalize doxxing, including employing verbal irony to situate targets’ wrongdoing in a positive context, and using euphemistic language to present doxxing as “information sharing” or “exposing the truth”. In addition, forum posts related to doxxing often incorporate memes, emojis, and forum slang, fostering humour and familiarity while normalizing doxxing as part of the forum’s culture. Interview participants also downplay the legal consequences of doxxing by framing it as “just a joke”. 

These findings provide insights into the sociolinguistic dynamics and power structures within doxxing discourses, shedding light on attitudes towards microaggression and the normalization of controversial online behaviours. The use of microaggressive humour and normalization strategies challenges traditional legal frameworks in defining doxxing. The presence of memes, emojis, and forum slang adds complexity to assessing intent and impact. Policymakers seeking to understand doxxing practices should adopt a comprehensive approach that considers the interplay between linguistic innovation in digital discourse and the potential harm caused by doxxing.