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What doxxing can do: A foreigner's Facebook post led to threats, job loss, daughter being shunned
A Facebook post made by Mr Avijit das Patnaik in 2018 resulted in threats that he would be found at his home and beaten up. PHOTO: COURTESY OF AVIJIT DAS PATNAIK
Goh Yan Han
Sep 11, 2022 02:26 pm
For about six months, Mr Avijit das Patnaik received harassing messages on social media.
Some senders threatened to find him at his home to beat him up, while others chewed him out for being an Indian national who was taking away "the best jobs" from Singaporeans.
Netizens also dug up photos and videos of his family, including those of his daughter dancing, and posted them on online forums.
This unwanted attention came after Mr Patnaik shared on Facebook an image he had found online of a Singapore flag being torn apart to reveal an Indian flag.
He made the post around India's National Day in August 2018, wanting to show that after years of living here, "my body was Singaporean but my heart was Indian", said Mr Patnaik, now 47.
Netizens found it offensive, with some complaining that the image was disrespectful to Singapore.
A police report was lodged against him - and he received a stern warning. His then employer, DBS Bank, was also pulled into the fray.
Speaking to The Straits Times over Zoom from his home in India, Mr Patnaik said he has no regrets about the post and had not intended to cause offence. But the doxxing experience was "shocking" and stressful for him and his family.
Before the viral post, he had been a frequent user of social media - at least 10 posts a day - and never had a problem, he said.
"Back then, I was an emcee at various events. I was a known guy who knew what to say to an audience. So when this happened, I could not believe things had gone wrong, and eventually I realised it was nothing but destiny," said Mr Patnaik.
He claimed that he was forced to resign from his job at DBS. After the incident, DBS said Mr Patnaik was "no longer with the bank" without commenting further.
"My world crashed. Suddenly you feel everything you invested in in the last 44 years of your life, everything comes down to naught," said Mr Patnaik.
Following the incident, he continued to receive harassing messages for months, which he ignored.
"I didn't think anyone would actually come and beat me up. Most of these trolls hide behind fake accounts and pictures," he said.
But his daughter had a harder time as she was taunted or shunned by friends in school.
Mr Patnaik remained in Singapore for another 1½ years, looking for a job but struggling to find one as an online search by potential employers would call up the incident.
He gave up his Singapore permanent residency in December 2019 - more than a decade after he moved his family here in 2008. He has two children - a daughter, 16, and a son, 12, whom he adopted while living in Singapore.
The family moved back to India in January 2020.
The ordeal has shown him who his true friends are, he said.
"Back then, 50 to 60 per cent of my 'friends' disconnected from me and we've never spoken since. But some of them asked me to stay a few days with them, or spent the weekend with me to be there for me," said Mr Patnaik.
Now retired from corporate life, he lives off his investments and savings while also doing customised travel itineraries on the side.
"In a way, I am thankful to the trolls. I have all the time for my kids and friends now. It's a life people dream about, and now I have it."
