Technology
Tesla doxxing attacks wrongly target nonowners across America
The recent surge of attacks on Tesla owners, dealerships and charging stations has morphed into a broader campaign of intimidation, fueled by weaponized personal data. But the fallout isn’t limited to Tesla owners alone.
Sites like “Dogequest” have published names, addresses and phone numbers supposedly belonging to Tesla owners, yet many victims never owned a Tesla or sold theirs years ago. Some were misidentified due to errors in public records or outdated databases, turning ordinary people into targets for harassment and threats. The site’s operators have even demanded proof of sale from anyone seeking removal, putting the burden on innocent people to clear their names.
As the DOJ and FBI label these attacks as domestic terrorism and ramp up investigations, the chilling reality is that anyone, even those only suspected of owning a Tesla, can find themselves exposed and at risk.
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A Tesla supercharger (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
How innocent people get caught in the crossfire
On March 18, 2025, a hacker group launched “Dogequest,” a website featuring a searchable map of supposed Tesla owners and employees. The site didn’t just list dealerships and charging stations; it exposed names, home addresses, phone numbers and emails, sometimes even in real time. The twist? Many of the people listed never owned a Tesla at all.
The data fueling this attack came from public vehicle registration records and third-party databases, notorious for their inaccuracies. Some victims had sold their Teslas years ago. Others were never owners, just mistakenly linked by a typo, a recycled phone number or a database error. Yet they found themselves on a digital hit list, with their privacy and safety at risk.
The real-world consequences
This isn’t just an online problem. Firebombings at showrooms, bullets through dealership windows and threats to families have all been linked to these doxxing campaigns. Law enforcement, including the DOJ, now calls it domestic terrorism. And because the data is so often wrong, anyone could be next, regardless of whether you’ve ever set foot in a Tesla.
“Doxxing” affecting Tesla and non-Tesla owners alike (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Why misidentification matters to everyone
If you think you’re safe because you don’t own a Tesla, think again. The same flawed data sources that misidentified Tesla owners exist for countless other products, memberships and affiliations. Today, it’s electric cars; tomorrow, it could be political donors, healthcare workers or anyone else whose data is bought and sold.
HERTZ DATA BREACH EXPOSES CUSTOMER INFORMATION
What you can do to protect yourself now
Whether your personal data was exposed in a breach, leaked by someone with inside access or scraped from people-finder sites, you’re at risk, not just if you own a Tesla, but even if you’re misidentified. Here’s how to reduce your exposure and protect yourself from becoming the next target of a doxxing attack.
Breaches and leaks
To help prevent your data from ending up in a breach or leak:
- Limit what data companies have on you in the first place. Fill in only the required fields, use email aliases and burner or VoIP numbers where possible, and use a P.O. Box in place of a street address. Provide fake details where it’s practical and legal to do so.
- Delete accounts you no longer need. That online shopping account you used once five years ago? All that personal information is still sitting there, just waiting to be breached or leaked. Look for options like “delete my data” and “delete data and close account” rather than just “close account.”
People finder sites and why you need a data removal service
Also known as people-search sites, these data brokers profit by compiling detailed personal profiles that are fully searchable and available to anyone for a small fee. They’re among the most dangerous sources of exposed personal information online. Fortunately, they’re also some of the easiest to tackle, especially with the help of a personal data removal service.
These services send legally binding opt-out requests to people-search sites and other data brokers on your behalf, ensuring your information is taken down. Some services, like our No. 1 pick, even offer custom removal options, where privacy professionals handle complex cases that go beyond automated systems.
While no service can guarantee complete data erasure from the internet, using a trusted removal service is a smart way to automate and maintain ongoing protection from hundreds of data-hungry sites over time.
CHECK OUT MY TOP PICKS FOR DATA REMOVAL SERVICES HERE
Hacker at work (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Additional critical digital defenses to implement
While removing your data from brokers and minimizing online footprints are essential first steps, true safety in this new era of weaponized information also requires securing our digital infrastructure against both physical and virtual threats. Here are a few steps you can take to protect your data.
Use two-factor authentication: Protect your vehicle’s account and associated emails with authenticator apps rather than SMS, which is vulnerable to SIM-swapping attacks.
Use a VPN: Mask your IP address when accessing your vehicle’s apps on public Wi-Fi to prevent location tracking and man-in-the-middle attacks. VPNs will protect you from those who want to track and identify your potential location. For the best VPN software, see my expert review of the best VPNs for browsing the web privately on your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.
Cabin cam caution: Disable Cabin Camera Recording under Data Sharing unless essential. While Tesla claims footage isn’t linked to identities by default, third-party app vulnerabilities could expose this data. Newer Teslas process cabin cam footage locally, but legacy models may still use cloud backups, so check your software version.
Report doxxing or cyber harassment: If you’ve been doxxed or targeted online, don’t wait to take action. Report it to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), ic3.gov, or to local law enforcement, as many states have laws addressing doxxing, stalking and cyber harassment. File a police report with documented evidence (screenshots, URLs, timestamps). Also, for account-specific threats, contact Tesla customer service directly to report suspicious activity and secure your account.
Kurt’s key takeaways
The reality is unsettling but not hopeless, and while the threats of our hyper-connected world can feel overwhelming, you don’t have to just hope you won’t be targeted. You can take control by arming yourself with knowledge, using the right tools, building smart habits like checking your digital footprint, using removal tools and staying alert to new threats because the attackers are organized, and it’s time we are, too.
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I’ve recommended several OLED gaming monitors to readers over the years, and I’ve finally taken my own advice to buy one. Alienware’s new 27-inch 1440p QD-OLED has all the features that I want and a low $350 price that was too tempting to ignore.
The AW2726DM model has five things that make it stand out for the price: a 1440p QD-OLED screen with lush contrast, a fast 240Hz refresh rate, a semi-glossy screen coating to enhance details, a low-profile design without flashy RGB LEDs, and a great warranty (three years with coverage for burn-in).
I’ve been using Alienware’s new monitor for a couple days, and I’ve already spent hours with it playing Marathon. It was my first opportunity to see Bungie’s new first-person extraction shooter in its full HDR glory, and I can never go back. Switching on HDR wasn’t automatic, though it already looked so much better than my IPS panel without being activated.
Enabling it transformed how Marathon looked for the better, but made everything else about the OS look pretty washed-out. It’s a Windows issue, not an Alienware issue. It’s easy to enable HDR every time I launch a game and disable it afterward with the Windows + Alt + B keyboard shortcut, but unfortunately triggers HDR for all connected displays. This includes my IPS monitor that imbues everything with a terrible gray hue when HDR is on. So, using the system settings is the best way to adjust HDR for just the QD-OLED.
I landed on this QD-OLED after having spent a ton of time researching pricier models. The unanimous takeaway from reviewers was that LG’s Tandem RGB WOLED panels are some of the brightest out there, but also tend to exhibit lousy gray uniformity in dark scenes. QD-OLED monitors, on the other hand, offer slightly better contrast than WOLED and don’t suffer from those same uniformity issues. However, blacks sometimes appear as dark purple in bright rooms on QD-OLED panels, meaning they’re ideal for rooms that don’t have a bunch of light bouncing around.
There’s no perfect choice, and honestly I got tired of doing research, so I jumped in with the cheapest OLED. I’m glad that I did. Shopping for an OLED gaming monitor can be hard, but it can also be this easy. AOC makes a model that’s discounted to $339.99 at the time of publishing, and its specs are comparable.
As expected, the AW2726DM isn’t a cutting-edge monitor. Its QD-OLED panel isn’t as fast or as bright as some other pricier options, and it doesn’t have USB ports for connecting accessories. Considering its low price, it’s easy for me to overlook those omissions. I’d have a much harder time accepting them in a pricier display.
The fact that I mostly use my computer for text-based work at The Verge is what prevented me from upgrading to an OLED monitor. My 1440p IPS monitor is bright, it’s good at showing text clearly, and it has a fast refresh rate for gaming. Alienware’s QD-OLED is less bright, and some might be bothered by how text looks (I have to really squint to see the slight fringing from this QD-OLED’s subpixel layout). But I have a life outside of work, which includes playing a lot of PC games. That’s the slice of myself I bought this monitor for, and I’m so happy I did.
Photography by Cameron Faulkner / The Verge
Technology
Michael and Susan Dell surpass $1 billion in donations backing AI-driven hospital project
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Billionaire Michael Dell and his wife, Susan Dell, have become the first donors to give more than $1 billion to the University of Texas at Austin, funding a massive new medical research campus and hospital system powered by artificial intelligence.
The couple’s latest investment includes a $750 million gift to help build the UT Dell Medical Center, a planned “AI-native” hospital expected to open in 2030 as part of a more than 300-acre advanced research campus.
University officials said the project will integrate research, clinical care and advanced computing to improve early disease detection, personalize treatment and expand access to care in the rapidly growing Austin region.
The Dells’ support builds on decades of contributions to UT, including funding for its medical school, scholarships and research programs.
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Michael Dell and Susan Dell attend the Breakthrough Prize ceremony as they become the first to donate more than $1 billion to the University of Texas at Austin. ( Craig T Fruchtman/WireImage)
“By bringing together medicine, science and computing in one campus designed for the AI era, UT can create more opportunity, deliver better outcomes, and build a stronger future for communities across Texas and beyond,” Michael Dell and Susan Dell said.
The gift ranks among the largest in the history of higher education, alongside major contributions like Phil Knight’s $2 billion pledge to Oregon Health & Science University and Michael Bloomberg’s $1.8 billion donation to Johns Hopkins University.
The new UT Dell Medical Center will be developed in collaboration with MD Anderson Cancer Center, integrating cancer care into a system designed to connect prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
AI IS RUNNING THE CLASSROOM AT THIS TEXAS SCHOOL, AND STUDENTS SAY ‘IT’S AWESOME’
The University of Texas at Austin campus at sunset. (iStock)
“We will deliver better outcomes for patients by providing research-driven cancer care that is precise, compassionate and hope-filled,” Peter WT Pisters, president of UT MD Anderson, said.
Officials said the facility will be built from the ground up to incorporate AI, rather than retrofitting older infrastructure — an approach they say could transform how hospitals operate.
Independent experts have cautioned that AI in health care can introduce risks if not carefully validated. A widely cited study published in the journal Science by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Chicago found that a commonly used healthcare algorithm underestimated the needs of Black patients due to biased training data, highlighting broader concerns about equity in AI-driven systems.
The project also includes funding for undergraduate scholarships, student housing and the Texas Advanced Computing Center, where officials are developing one of the nation’s most powerful academic supercomputers.
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Artificial intelligence technology is expected to play a key role in diagnosis and patient care at the planned UT Dell Medical Center. (iStock)
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the investment will help position the state as a national leader in healthcare innovation.
“Texas already dominates in technology, energy and business, and now we will further cement our leadership in health care innovation as well,” Abbott said.
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The university said it plans to break ground on the medical center later this year and has launched a broader campaign to raise $10 billion over the next decade.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
SpaceX and Cursor are now working closely together to create the world’s best coding and knowledge work AI.
The combination of Cursor’s leading product and distribution to expert software engineers with SpaceX’s million H100 equivalent Colossus training supercomputer will allow us to build the world’s most useful models.
Cursor has also given SpaceX the right to acquire Cursor later this year for $60 billion or pay $10 billion for our work together.
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