Doxxing by Association: The New Censorship for the Digital Age
In today’s digital public square, censorship doesn’t always arrive in the form of deleted posts or blocked accounts. Sometimes it comes dressed in something far more insidious: doxxing by association.
And I’ve now become the target of such tactics.
As many of you know, my personal details are not easy to find online. That’s by design. But a few local actors, uncomfortable with my critiques—especially those aimed at the cozy relationship between religious dogma and political manipulation—have decided to go after those around me instead.
In the Denton-based Facebook group Denton Free Speech Matters, a handful of right-wing agitators, including a user named Keith, have begun spreading false claims that David Riewe, who helped me set up this very Substack, is actually me. Their strategy? If they can’t cancel me directly, they’ll try to pressure or endanger those connected to me—people who do show up in Google searches.
This isn’t just lazy conspiracy-mongering. It’s calculated.
By falsely identifying David as Aleks, they create an illusion of transparency while putting his safety, reputation, and livelihood at risk. It’s a coward’s version of character assassination: shoot the messenger if you can’t reach the source.
And here’s the worst part: the moderator of Denton Free Speech Matters, knows it’s happening—and he’s allowing it. Posts accusing David of being me are left up. False associations are allowed to linger. Meanwhile, if someone on the opposing side so much as raises a skeptical eyebrow, they’re flagged or silenced.
This is not “free speech.” It’s selective tolerance used to create an atmosphere of fear and suppression. It is the weaponization of community spaces for the purpose of silencing dissenting voices—especially those who challenge orthodoxy, whether religious or political.
So let’s be clear:
I am not David Riewe.
David is not me.
This post is not just about defending myself or my friends—it’s a broader callout of how digital cowardice and bad moderation enable harassment. If we’re going to talk about truth, transparency, and freedom of expression, we need to start by holding accountable the people who allow these smear campaigns to fester under the guise of “free speech.”
Until then, I’ll say this: I’m not going anywhere. You can smear names. You can twist facts. You can blur identities. But the truth is stubborn—and those who fear it the most are usually the first to try and silence it.