The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) has launched a campaign ahead of the 15th National Games to clean up the online space, focusing on curbing harassment of athletes, coaches, and referees.The campaign will crack down on the deliberate leaking of personal data through smear campaigns by fans or abusers, including personal contact numbers, hotel stay details, and official ID proofs.The recently announced drive aims to protect athletes’ privacy and reputation while safeguarding their personal life and liberty from online doxxing and abuse.What exactly is doxxing?Doxxing is the act of publishing a person’s sensitive personal information on online platforms without their prior consent. It includes their names, contact numbers, address, online account details or official document details in order to harass, intimidate or shame them. In China, it is also called “opening the box”.In the past, several high-profile athletes have suffered doxxing.In August 2021, during 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Quan Hongchan, a 17-year old Olympic athlete and gold medalist diver experienced doxxing and intense online harassment. A huge crowd descended to her hometown. In one instance, fans swamped around her hotel and she avoided travelling back to her hometown. Quan Hongchan won the gold medal for the women’s 10-meter platform diving at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021. (@CGTNOfficial via X)Chinese table-tennis player Fan Zhendong faced doxxing in April 2023. As per a report published in the South China Morning Post, his personal phone numbers and official IDs were leaked online. Reportedly, an obsessed fan broke into the hotel room of Zhendong, and reportedly stole his underwear. Zhendong said in a post in that year, that an obsessed fan was stalking him for days and had obtained a hotel key card. He had called to boycott fandom culture in his post. After joining the Chinese national table tennis team in 2012 as the youngest member, he went on to become the youngest ITTF World Tour Champion and the youngest World Table Tennis Champion. (@WTTGlobal via X)In 2021, his fans took over an airport in southern China’s Guangdong province as he was boarding a plane. They demanded Zhendong provide autographs, and pose for photos and videos, making it difficult for the athlete to board his flight due to the number of fans crammed into the airport.Story continues below this ad“I do not want my personal itinerary to be followed or exposed publicly. I beg my fans to allow me to be an ordinary person,” Zhendong said on Weibo after the airport incident.What steps have China taken so far to combat doxxing?This is not the first time that China has taken steps to curb doxxing on athletes.Social media platforms like Wiebo and Douyin have deleted thousands of posts and suspended user accounts for abusive content aimed at athletes.Story continues below this adIn 2021, CAC launched a campaign which specifies that social media platforms must remove leaked information, shut down accounts engaged in abuse and provide complaint-reporting channels.The recent ‘cleaning program’ by CAC is timed to cut down doxxing incidents during the National Games.In India, journalists have faced incidents of doxxing. In 2021, personal contact numbers, official IDs and sensitive information of journalist Rana Ayyub were leaked online in order to harass her.In May 2025, India’s foreign secretary Vikram Misri’s daughter’s personal information was leaked online after India announced a ceasefire with Pakistan.Story continues below this adLater, Misri locked his social media accounts due to harassment.India has no single law that explicitly defines or criminalises doxxing. However, provisions in the Personal Digital Data Protection Act (2023), Information Technology Act (2000) and BNS can be applied where personal information is being misused.