Cyber-Stalking

The term “cyberstalking” refers to the use of the Internet, e-mail, or other communication technologies to harass or stalk another person. This could involve intentionally intimidating people or making their lives intolerable. It is more than just the inconvenience of unwanted e-mail; it is systematic, deliberate, and relentless. The communications, whether from a known or unknown source, continue long after the recipient has requested that all interactions be terminated, and are frequently laden with inappropriate, and occasionally distressing, information. Cyberstalking is essentially an extension of physical stalking.

A person who is cyberstalking has certain features. This could entail following the victim’s location as well as monitoring their daily activities. While also following the victim on social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. The cyberstalker could learn about the victim’s friends and family, upcoming excursions, phone number, home address, and so on.

Signs of cyberstalking:

Cyberstalking is defined as any activity in which a criminal uses the Internet to harass or threaten another person. It can include acts such as sending the victim multiple unsolicited and/or threatening e-mails.

· Sending unsolicited and/or threatening e-mails to the victim’s friends and relatives on a regular basis.

· Online impersonation of the victim.

· Making abusive comments about the victim on the internet.

· Leaving hateful messages on social media platforms, for example.

· Sending pornography or other graphic content that is knowingly offensive to the victim.

· Creating internet information that portrays the victim negatively.

· Following, observing, and tracking a person’s social media activity.

· Threatening the victim, their family, friends, and/or pets with harm,

· Doxing is the practice of posting personal information online without the victim’s knowledge, such as an address or social insurance number, in order to intimidate them.

· Spoofing is a general term for the type of action that involves impersonating someone else online or over the phone in order to persuade a victim to do something.

· Trolling is derived from the internet slang term “troll,” which refers to someone who creates conflicts or upsets a victim by posting inflammatory, irrelevant words online. A troll’s goal is to elicit an emotional response from other internet users, usually for their own pleasure.

· Hate speech directed against a victim by the use of abusive or threatening words that conveys prejudice against a characteristic that defines the victim as belonging to a specific religion, race, culture, or sexual orientation.

· Sextortion is defined as an attempt to extort money or force victims to do something against their will by threatening to disclose humiliating, personal photographs or videos of the victim. The compromising photographs could be from the victim’s webcam that has been hijacked by software, or they could be fabricated imagery, as in sextortion scams.

What is the difference between cyberstalking and cyberbullying?

Cyberstalking occurs when a victim is harassed online using electronic communication devices, instant messaging, social networks, discussion groups, and so on, for the goal of retaliation, anger, or control. A stalker could be a stranger or a friend of the victim.

Cyberbullying occurs when a kid, preteen, or adolescent is harassed, humiliated, tortured, intimidated, embarrassed, or targeted by another person of the same age range via the internet, interactive and digital technologies, or electronic devices. When adults are involved, it is referred to as cyber-harassment or cyberstalking.

Cyberbullying occurs on a regular, purposeful, and hostile basis. It can be as simple as sending emails, texting, or pestering someone on a regular basis. Cyberbullying can include: Impact of cyberstalking:

· Threats made in public on multiple occasions.

· Hate speech, derogatory labels, or false claims of defamation.

· Sexual comments

· Victimizing a victim by mocking them in internet forums and debates

· Hacking or vandalizing websites and making false remarks about a person in order to discredit or humiliate them.

· Identifying victims of crime and releasing content that is intended to harshly slander or humiliate them.

· Posting rumors about the victim online in order to get others to detest or engage in their online slander.

Impact of Cyberstalking:

Unfortunately, victims of cyberstalking may potentially be left with negative impacts related to the crime. These impacts can be psychological or social.

Psychological

· Fear

· Anger

· Paranoia

· Depression

· Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

· Panic attacks

· Increased suicidal ideation.

· Lowered perceptions of control

Social

· Damaged reputation: The perpetrator may impersonate the victim online which could affect the victim’s reputation.

· Damaged family relations: Family members may be affected by the victims cyberstalking causing them to create distance between themselves and the victim.

· Loss of work: The victim’s work may be affected by cyberstalking which can cause them to lose their job.

Preventative Measures One Can Take

· Choose a genderless screen name, and change it if necessary;

· Create a separate email account through a free service that is not tied to personal or work addresses, and is only used for online activity;

· Don’t use your real name or nickname;

· Try to limit the amount of personal information you are posting online;

· Make your social media account private;

· Don’t accept friend/follow requests from people you don’t know;

· Choose a complicated password and change it frequently, the best passwords don’t spell anything and don’t follow a logical pattern;

· Make your password seven letters long because the longer the password, the harder it will be to break (there are more seven letter words in the English language than six or eight letter words);

· Make sure your phone is set to lock quickly while not in use;

· Put a password on your phone- one that isn’t easy to guess;

· Be mindful of who you are sharing your devices with;

· Protect your privacy by not publishing or talking about your real name, address, or other contact details as well as not providing location information. Set privacy options to the most restrictive possible;

· Depending on the level of threat, do not confront the aggressor. If the threat level is low, send a clear message that communication is unwanted. This will act as a benchmark for any future police investigations/legal proceedings. Once it has been sent, do not respond to any further communications;

· Never agree to meet with the cyberstalker to work things out face-to-face;

· Never leave your computer logged in unattended;

· Use filters to remove unwanted communications and block the user from interacting with you if possible (how to do this will vary by device or platform);

· Change passwords for all online points of contact, including email, instant messaging, and social networks. If there is a risk that personal devices have been compromised, these changes should be made at a neutral site, such as a library;

· Don’t have personal conversations in publicly viewable forums;

· Refrain from publicizing any plans (personal, vacation, travel, etc.);

· Learn cyber etiquette (lingo, profile rules, etc.) particular to the site being accessed;

· You can Google yourself to see what information is available about you;

· If a situation becomes hostile log off and surf elsewhere;

· Keep a handwritten log of contacts from the cyberstalker, especially if there is a possibility that the computer/device has been compromised.

· DO NOT delete original messages. Save all harassing/unwanted messages, in soft and hard copy, this will be useful if reporting to authorities; and

· Take screenshots of any harassing behaviors, especially those that are hard to log into, like video chats (how to do this will vary by device, user manual, or internet search for instructions).

Collecting and Documenting Evidence

If personal efforts are insufficient or the stalker behavior worsens, the following additional formal steps should be followed. If the level of fear or menace grows, or if cyberstalking goes from the online world to direct, in-person contact, you should generally follow the actions mentioned below in the sequence listed. You may be taking numerous courses of action at the same moment, depending on your level of fear and need.

Keep All Devices: Victims may believe that getting rid of the devices through which the cyberstalker is contacting them is the best option, however this may exacerbate the perpetrator’s controlling and harmful behaviors. Perpetrators may believe their control is under jeopardy as you remove all access. Instead of removing all gadgets, some women want to use a safer computer, device, or phone while leaving a monitored device in place to continue collecting evidence. If you keep the gadget linked to the criminal, you are also keeping evidence in case you decide to report it to the authorities.

Obtaining Evidence

Gathering evidence is essential because it allows you to document what is occurring, which can be beneficial if you decide to report to the individual.

Elements that must be recorded:

· Emails: It is crucial not to delete emails or forward them to someone you do not trust. Emails contain IP addresses that disclose the IP address of the sender. If you chose to save, print, or capture a screenshot of the email, be careful to save the email header, which contains the IP address. Depending on the email platform, the location of the email header may differ.

· Text messages: Take screenshots of any menacing text messages, making sure to include the sender’s contact information and the date and time of the message’s transmission. If the perpetrator has access to the same cloud as you, they have the ability to delete messages. Consequently, you must collect evidence promptly.

· Internet/social media harassment: Because social media posts can be deleted, it is imperative to take screenshots of any online harassment that occurs. In addition, if you block a person on certain social media platforms (such as Instagram), you will not be able to access your direct messages with the offender. If you intend to report the harassment to the social media or website provider, you must first document the abuse.

· Phone Calls: Consider recording harassing telephone conversations. Different provincial laws govern the admissibility of recorded phone conversations as evidence. In situations where it is against the law to record a telephone conversation, make a record of the call, its duration, the time, the date, the location, etc.

· Phone number/Caller ID impersonation: Take screenshots of the caller ID to document your call logs. Include the date, time, and phone number of the call’s origination.

Here are some suggestions for documenting what is occurring:

Document all incidents: Even if you are unsure whether or not to report the perpetrator, it is essential to document all incidents. For each incident, record the date, time, location, identity of the suspect, relationship with the perpetrator (if known), what caused you to fear for your safety, officer information (if reported), witnesses (if any), and a brief description of what the perpetrator did.