outing

Outing is the act of revealing personal information about another person, often done against that person's will. When the person voluntares such information, it is known as coming out. Outing might for instance be revealing the real-life information online, or revealing the facts otherwise not linked to the person to that individual's real-life friends, family, or community.

The term originates with the expression "coming out of the closet" (shortened to coming out) as used in the gay community. In the 1990s the gay media routinely forced celebrities "out of the closet", calling the practice "outing".

Outing may be deliberate or involuntary. Deliberate outing may be a weapon used by vigilantes or law enforcement officers to punish the person. Involuntary outing may occur when another person thoughtlessly links a person's nickname with another nickname, known as nick linking, or with a real-life person, or unwittingly supplies information that can be used to locate or identify a person.

See also

• coming out
• anonymity
• nick linking