SWATting
A harassment tactic in which a false emergency report is made to draw armed police response to a target's home address.
Full definition
SWATting is the practice of placing a hoax emergency call, typically reporting an active shooter, hostage situation, or similar, to trigger a heavily armed police response at a victim's home. The tactic depends on the attacker knowing the victim's home address, typically obtained through data brokers or public records. Several states now classify SWATting as a felony. Removing home-address information from data brokers is a primary defensive measure.
Related terms
Doxxing
The act of publicly revealing personally identifying information about an individual, typically without consent and often as part of a harassment campaign.
Daniel's Law
A category of state statutes requiring data brokers to expedite removal of home address information for judges, prosecutors, law enforcement officers, and related family members.
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