When carried out sensibly and securely, communication through social networks and other online public forums can be beneficial, both socially and professionally. However, if you’re not careful, it can lead to numerous undesirable consequences, one of which is cyberstalking.
Cyberstalking is stalking or harassment carried out over the internet. It might target individuals, groups, or even organizations and can take different forms including slander, defamation and threats. Motives may be to control or intimidate the victim or to gather information for use in other crimes, like identity theft or offline stalking.
While blame shouldn’t be placed on cyberstalking victims, the current online landscape lends itself to creating “easy targets.” For example, nowadays, many social media users think nothing of publicly posting personal information, sharing their feelings and desires, publishing family photos and more.
In this post, we’ll explain cyberstalking further and provide tips on how to ensure you don’t become a cyberstalking victim.
What is cyberstalking?
As mentioned, cyberstalking can take many different forms, but in the broadest sense, it is stalking or harassment that takes place via online channels such as social media, forums or email. It is typically planned and sustained over a period of time.
Cases of cyberstalking can often begin as seemingly harmless interactions. Sometimes, especially at the beginning, a few strange or perhaps unpleasant messages may even amuse you. However, if they become systematic, it becomes annoying and even frightening.
For example, if you’ve received a few negative comments on Facebook and Instagram, it may upset or annoy you, but this isn’t cyberstalking yet. For some people, such as semi-celebrities looking for attention, negative comments are actually welcomed.
However, once you start receiving unwanted and annoying messages repeatedly and feel harassed, then the line has likely been crossed. Cyberstalkers might terrorize victims by sending unpleasant messages systematically, perhaps even several times a day. It is especially unnerving when such messages come from different accounts managed by the same person. It is probably a good idea to report this to both the website owners and law enforcement agencies.
Cyberstalking doesn’t have to involve direct communication, and some victims may not even realize they are being stalked online. Perpetrators can monitor victims through various methods and use the information gathered for crimes like identity theft. In some cases, the line between cyberspace and real life can become blurred. Attackers can collect your personal data, contact your friends and attempt to harass you offline.
Who is behind cyberstalking?
Most cyberstalkers are familiar with their victims. For most people, frequent messages from friends or colleagues, although often distracting and sometimes annoying, are welcome. However, being monitored by or receiving intrusive messages from an unfamiliar person or a casual acquaintance can be considered cyberstalking. It can have many motives including revenge, anger, control or even lust.
Plenty of cyberstalking cases involve someone attempting to get the attention of a former or would-be partner. While some people may see this behavior as acceptable and even romantic, if the communication is unwanted, it can be considered harassment. If this happens to you, you can ask that they stop and take measures such as blocking them from your social media accounts. If it persists through other channels, it may be time to call the police (more on that below).
Other cases of cyberstalking, particularly those involving celebrities or other high-profile individuals, might involve complete strangers. Some perpetrators suffer from mental health issues and even believe their behavior is welcomed.
Cyberstalking isn’t always conducted by individuals and might involve a group of people. They could be targeting an individual, group or organization for various reasons including opposing beliefs, revenge or financial gain.
Legal aspects of cyberstalking
It is difficult to find and punish professional attackers because they know how to anonymize themselves behind fake personas. Plus, most countries have not yet adopted specific laws that regulate cyberstalking. For example, in the US, cyberstalking falls under harassment and anti-stalking laws. Depending on the severity of the case, a fine or even imprisonment may be applied.
Cyberstalking specifically has been addressed in U.S. federal law – the Violence Against Women Act. However, there still remains a lack of federal legislation to address stalking by electronic means, and the majority of legislation is done at the state level. The first U.S. cyberstalking law went into effect in California. Since 1999, there have been a number of high-profile legal cases related to cyberstalking.
How to avoid cyberstalking?
As with many things in life, it’s better to be proactive than reactive when it comes to cyberstalking. Becoming a victim will be far less likely if you follow our five simple tips below. These guidelines will enable you to enjoy all the benefits of online communication while remaining completely safe.
1) Keep a low profile
Keeping a subdued online existence is tough for some people, especially those who need to use online platforms for self-promotion or business-related activities. However, many users could benefit from toning things down a little. You should always avoid posting personal details such as your address and phone number, and think carefully about revealing real-time information such as where you are and who you’re with.
In an ideal world, you would avoid using your real name in online profiles. While this is difficult for anything work-related, it’s quite feasible for things like forums, message boards and certain social media accounts. For example, you can use a nickname on Instagram or Twitter.
If you must maintain your real name and photo, be very wary about who you accept connection requests and messages from. If it’s not a friend, relative or colleague, do some checks before moving forward.
In some cases, it’s almost impossible to avoid revealing personal information and connecting with people you don’t know, for example, on dating websites. Unfortunately, these are popular with scammers, and you may even end up chatting with a potential cyberstalker. For this reason, it’s best to stick with reputable sites, do some research about a suitor before revealing personal information or meeting in person and report any activity that makes you feel uncomfortable to the site’s administrators.
2) Update your software
Keeping your software up-to-date may not be the first thing that springs to mind when you think about cyberstalking prevention. However, regular software updates are crucial when it comes to preventing information leaks. Many updates are developed to patch security vulnerabilities and help ensure your information remains safe.
They are especially important for mobile devices which contain valuable data and track your exact location. There are numerous cases in which cyberstalking begins when an attacker pays someone to hack your email or phone and uses the gathered information against you. A such, protecting yourself from hackers is key to cyberstalking prevention.
3) Hide your IP address
Many applications and services reveal your IP address to the person with whom you’re communicating. This may seem unimportant, but this information is directly related to your personal data. For example, your IP address is linked to the internet bill that is sent to your home and which you pay with your credit card. Cyberstalkers can begin with your IP address and use it to find your credit card data and physical address.
To mask your IP address you can use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). This hides your real IP address and replaces it with from a location of your choice, so you could even appear to be in a different country. It also encrypts all of your internet traffic, keeping it safe from the prying eyes of hackers.
Another option is to use the Tor browser. This also encrypts your traffic, although it may raise flags for law enforcement agencies as it’s commonly used by criminals themselves. For the ultimate in privacy and anonymity, you can combine Tor and a VPN. Note that it’s not recommended you use a web proxy or a free VPN service, as these can often harm your online security more than they help it.
4) Maintain good digital hygiene
‘Digital hygiene’ is a new term but represents a very important topic, especially with regard to social networks. Maintaining good digital hygiene helps protect you from cyber harassment, cyberbullying and cyberstalking.
Adjusting privacy settings is one of the first steps you can take to “clean up” your accounts. Most social media platforms and some other types of online accounts will let you adjust who can see your profile and contact you.
It’s also a good idea to keep things like your timelines, feeds and message threads free from negative comments. Aside from potentially fueling more negativity from others, these can have a significant emotional impact when you re-read them. For example, psychological support is regularly provided to website moderators, as they seriously suffer from reading aggressive messages, even those that aren’t sent to them personally.
Social media hygiene is especially important for girls and women. Studies show that although the majority of internet attacks are aimed at men, cyberstalking, in particular, is mostly aimed at women.
5) Avoid disclosing sensitive information
Surprisingly, many people constantly share personal information about themselves, even outside of social media platforms. By filling out questionnaires or submitting applications for coupons, you are increasing the likelihood of someone getting their hand on your personal data and possibly making cyberstalking more accessible.
What to do in case you are being cyberstalked
- Block the person
Don’t hesitate to apply all measures permitted by law, especially those offered by web services. If the tools are there, block anyone who you wish to stop hearing from, even if these messages are just annoying and not yet threatening. Only you can decide when this boundary has been passed.
- Report to the platform involved
If someone is harassing or threatening you, you should block them immediately and report their behavior to the platform involved. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn,and many other platforms have created easy-to-use buttons to quickly report abusive behavior.
Even if you think you are rid of the perpetrator, they may come back or pursue more victims. Law enforcement agencies do not always have the technical ability to protect you from cyberstalking, but platform moderators usually respond quickly and delete attackers’ profiles.
- Call the police
If you believe their behavior is illegal or you fear for your safety, then you should contact the police and report the cyberstalker. Even if you don’t have enough information or evidence for them to prosecute immediately, the report will go on record and the police can offer advice about what to do if the perpetrator persists.
Minimizing damage
If you find yourself caught up in a case of cyberstalking, there are two main methods to minimize the adverse consequences:
- Reduce the amount of information available about you online.
- Increase the amount of fake information about you that will mislead an attacker.
Reducing the amount of information available
We’ve offered some tips to this effect above, such as adjusting your privacy settings and practicing good digital hygiene. If you are under attack from a cyberstalker, you may want to clean up your online presence even further by deleting any old accounts and trying to remove any information or images that pop up in search queries.
Removing information about you from the internet is not as difficult as it seems. If you live in the European Union, this can even be done by exercising your right to be forgotten (through the European Court of Justice) and have Google or Bing remove your personal information from the registry.
Using fake profiles to act as decoys
This may sound extreme, but it could be helpful in some situations to add profiles to social networks that include fake personas using your name or picture. You can supply those profiles with different addresses, jobs and interests. You can also change some information in your real profiles and use one of the fake accounts as your primary for some time.
This tactic will help to mislead the cyberstalker and create doubts that this is really you. Just be sure to check the rules and regulations for those platforms before doing this.
Cyberstalking is a big problem, but it is easier to prevent it than to try to solve it and eliminate the consequences.
Fortunately, law enforcement agencies, security professionals and social media platforms are on your side and are ready to provide you with useful tools and methods of protection. For example, social media platforms make it easy to report abuse and reputable VPN providers will help you hide your IP address and encrypt your communication. If needed, don’t hesitate to contact the police to report cyberstalking or similar crimes.
For more information on cyberstalking and how to prevent it, check out this infographic.
About the Author:David Balaban is a computer security researcher with over 10 years of experience in malware analysis and antivirus software evaluation. David runs the www.Privacy-PC.com project, which presents expert opinions on contemporary information security matters, including social engineering, penetration testing, threat intelligence, online privacy, and white hat hacking. David has a strong malware troubleshooting background, with the recent focus on ransomware countermeasures.
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in this guest author article are solely those of the contributor, and do not necessarily reflect those of Tripwire, Inc.
FAQs
What cyberstalking means? ›
Cyberstalking is a crime in which someone harasses or stalks a victim using electronic or digital means, such as social media, email, instant messaging (IM), or messages posted to a discussion group or forum.
What is the cause of cyberstalking? ›Many stalkers – online or off – are motivated by a desire to exert control over their victims. The effects of stalking may include behavioural, psychological and social aspects. Victims of cyberstalking may feel: Angry.
What is cyberstalking and give examples of cyberstalking? ›Examples of Cyberstalking
Post rude, offensive, or suggestive comments online. Follow the target online by joining the same groups and forums. Send threatening, controlling, or lewd messages or emails to the target. Use technology to threaten or blackmail the target.
Cyberstalking is the act of persistent and unwanted contact from someone online. It may involve any number of incidents including threats, libel, defamation, sexual harassment, or other actions in which to control, influence, or intimidate their target.
What are the different types of cyber stalking? ›- Email Stalking: sending hate, obscene, or threatening emails, or sending viruses and spam. · ...
- Internet Stalking: spreading rumors or tracking victims on the web. · ...
- Computer Stalking: hacking into a victims computer and taking control of it. ·
Cyberstalking - Do this first!
Do not respond to their communications, never agree to meet and do not confront them about the stalking. Report it to the police - The police take stalking reports seriously and they have lots of experience investigating them. Report it early to the police directly using 101.
Most cyberstalking victims were found to be female, aged 30 years or older and with a good level of education. A number of behaviours are often associated with cyberstalking but it was found that many of these activities, such as identity theft and fraud, are not common.
Who investigates cyber stalking? ›The FBI is the lead federal agency for investigating cyber attacks and intrusions. We collect and share intelligence and engage with victims while working to unmask those committing malicious cyber activities, wherever they are.
Why is cyberstalking a problem? ›Worst of all, cyberstalking can lead to escalation and does so in over 70 percent of cases. This can result in physical attacks and abductions, especially as perpetrators of domestic violence are more easily able to locate victims online who may be in hiding.
What is an example of cyberstalking? ›Some examples of cyberstalking include: Sending manipulative, threatening, lewd or harassing emails from an assortment of email accounts. Hacking into a victim's online accounts (such as banking or email) and changing the victim's settings and passwords.
What are the signs of cyberstalking? ›
- They spend an unusual amount of time online, in private.
- They receive phone calls, messages, or emails at strange hours.
- They act suspiciously when they are online.
- They are receiving gifts from people you don't know.
- They are visibly upset, scared, or crying after being online.
Signs you have a cyberstalker:
Receiving a lot of unwanted messages from the same person online. You get inappropriate messages you didn't ask for. They try to disconnect you from family and friends. You notice someone is posting rumors about you online.
While most victims of cyberstalking are women, 20 to 40 percent of the victims are men.
What do stalkers do to their victims? ›Often the stalker will order goods and services on the victim's behalf. Finally comes aggression or violence, in which stalkers threaten their victims, harass their families, damage their property, make false accusations about them, and cause sexual or physical injury.
How common is cyberstalking? ›In 2019, an estimated 0.4% (936,310 persons) of all U.S. residents age 16 or older were victims of cyberstalking, and about 0.2% (538,690 persons) received unwanted emails or messages using the Internet or social media (table 3).
What to do when someone is harassing you online? ›File a report with the police district where your business and home are located and include all documentation of the cyber-harassment or cyberstalking. If you have evidence of the perpetrator's identity, file a restraining order because you don't know when that person might take the harassment offline.
Is cyberstalking a federal crime? ›Cyberstalking is a crime under federal and state laws. The penalties that can be imposed for a conviction range from up to 1 year in jail to life imprisonment, depending on the jurisdiction the offense falls under and the nature of the offense.
Is online abuse a criminal Offence? ›The punishment is imprisonment for up to three years and a fine of up to Rupees one lakh. Further, under Section 354A of the Indian Penal Code, any man who makes sexually coloured remarks is punishable for the offence of sexual harassment. The punishment for this is imprisonment for up to one year and/or a fine.
What advice would you give a friend who is the victim of cyber stalking? ›1. Have No Contact with the Stalker. After the stalker has been told by the victim in a calm, clear and firm manner that their attention is unwanted and that they are to stop all contact, the victim, their family and friends should have no further contact with the stalker.
What are the benefits of cyberstalking? ›- Expert Intervention. Timely response minimizes the damage because it allows for stopping the developing unwanted consequences. ...
- Ability To Seek Criminal Prosecution. ...
- Ability To Seek A Restraining Order. ...
- Ability To Purse Civil Actions. ...
- Ability To Get Your Life Back.
How do you not stalk? ›
Hide them on your phone and social media feeds.
In some cases, blocking them altogether may not be the best solution. The more you try to put something out of your mind, the more likely you are to think about it. Checking their social media feed in controlled sessions may help you gradually overcome the urge to stalk.
Victims of stalking experience a number of disruptive psychological consequences of stalking, including significant fear and safety concerns, as well as symptoms of depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder (2). Most stalking victims do not seek mental health services (2).
Who is the most common target of stalking? ›Although stalking is a gender-neutral crime, most (78 percent) stalking victims are female and most (87 percent) stalking perpetrators are male. Adults between 18 and 29 years old are the primary targets of stalking, comprising 52 percent of all victims.
What does it mean to stalk someone on social media? ›We define stalking as unwanted or obsessive behavior toward an individual intended to frighten or coerce. This can include bombarding the individual with texts, emails, phone calls or gifts, showing up at someone's house or workplace, explicit or implicit threats, blackmail or even sexual assault.
What are the Top 5 cyber crimes? ›- Phishing Scams.
- Website Spoofing.
- Ransomware.
- Malware.
- IOT Hacking.
Law enforcement officials will use cyber forensic analysis tactics to find data and present it as evidence. In order for this evidence to be used in court, the police have to get a warrant to obtain the machines used in the cyber crime.
What is online harassment and cyberstalking? ›Online harassment becomes "cyberstalking" when repeated unwanted communications persist over time to the extent that victims fear for their personal safety and security, experience chronic anxiety about loss of quality of life, and undergo an erosion of certainty and predictability about what to expect each day.
What is the target of cyberstalking? ›Cyberstalking involves a series of behaviours and actions over a period of time that are intended to intimidate, alarm, frighten, or harass the victim and/or the victim's family, partner, and friends.
Is cyberstalking a cyber crime? ›Cyber stalking is a type of a crime. In the cyber stalking there is a involvement of two persons- Firstly, the stalker is also known as attacker who do the crime & Secondly, the Victim who is harassed by that stalker. Cyber stalking is also known as cyber crime.
Is stalking someone online illegal? ›Stalking is illegal and can include being followed or constantly harassed by another person - for example being sent unwanted emails.
Is catfishing a form of cyberstalking? ›
Catfishing occurs on social media sites when online stalkers create fake user profiles and approach their victims as a friend of a friend or expressing romantic interest. To look more like a real person, cyberstalkers sometimes copy the profiles of existing users, impersonating their identities.
What is cyber law explain with an example? ›Cyber laws are formed to prevent financial crimes such as identity theft, credit card theft and other that occurring online. A person may face confederate or state criminal charges if he commits any type of identity theft.
Which of the following is not cyber stalking? ›Detailed Solution. The correct answer is Online gaming. Online gaming is not a cybercrime. Spoofing is, in general, fraudulent or malicious behavior.
What is vindictive cyberstalking? ›Vindictive cyberstalker
This group is so named due to the ferocity to which they victimise those whom they pursue. They threatened their victims more than any other group and in the majority of cases they actually stalked their target offline.
To prove that there's stalking or cyberstalking, you must verify the following, through the State Attorney's office, beyond any reasonable doubt. You must prove that: The Defendant acted maliciously and willfully. The Defendant repeatedly followed, harassed, and stalked you.
What is cyberstalking Washington State? ›The Crime of Cyberstalking in Washington State
Found in RCW 9.61. 260 and a cousin of telephone harassment, the crime of cyberstalking is charged when forms of electronic communication other than the telephone are used to “harass, intimidate, torment, or embarrass”.
- Review and change passwords for all online accounts.
- Enable strict privacy settings on social media platforms.
- Disable any publicly available itineraries or calendars.
- Limit online sharing with individuals outside your close friends or family.
Cyber defamation means injuring the reputation of a person on the internet by using social media email, etc. Generally, a defamatory statement has to be published over the internet to fall under the category of cyber defamation.
What is cyber security in it? ›Cyber security is the practice of defending computers, servers, mobile devices, electronic systems, networks, and data from malicious attacks. It's also known as information technology security or electronic information security.
Is stalking someone online illegal? ›Stalking is illegal and can include being followed or constantly harassed by another person - for example being sent unwanted emails.
How can I prove cyberstalking? ›
Set Accounts to Private
Limiting the amount of personal information that is public is an effective way to prove someone is cyberstalking you. If personal information and photographs are not easily accessible to the general public, a cyberstalker may have difficulty explaining how they accessed it.
The FBI is the lead federal agency for investigating cyber attacks and intrusions. We collect and share intelligence and engage with victims while working to unmask those committing malicious cyber activities, wherever they are.
Is cyberstalking a cyber crime? ›Cyberstalking is a type of cybercrime that uses the internet and technology to harass or stalk a person. It can be considered an extension of cyberbullying and in-person stalking.
How one can identify and detect cyberstalking? ›Signs you have a cyberstalker:
Receiving a lot of unwanted messages from the same person online. You get inappropriate messages you didn't ask for. They try to disconnect you from family and friends. You notice someone is posting rumors about you online.
Who are the victims of cyberstalking? Although both males and females can be victims of cyberstalking, females between the ages of 18-30 are most likely to become victims.
What causes someone to stalk another person? ›Why Do People Stalk? Stalkers often emphasize that they “love” their victims and occasionally say they stalk to keep others safe. For example, an abusive ex-husband might say he stalks his ex-wife to ensure she's properly caring for their children. Psychologically, however, stalking is a crime of control.
Is cyberstalking a federal crime? ›Cyberstalking is a crime under federal and state laws. The penalties that can be imposed for a conviction range from up to 1 year in jail to life imprisonment, depending on the jurisdiction the offense falls under and the nature of the offense.
Can you sue for harassment on social media? ›Yes, you can sue for social media defamation. However, while it may seem natural to want to sue the social media platform for defamation, your best option is to file a defamation lawsuit against the individual poster or commenter.
What are the benefits of cyberstalking? ›- Expert Intervention. Timely response minimizes the damage because it allows for stopping the developing unwanted consequences. ...
- Ability To Seek Criminal Prosecution. ...
- Ability To Seek A Restraining Order. ...
- Ability To Purse Civil Actions. ...
- Ability To Get Your Life Back.
- Phishing Scams.
- Website Spoofing.
- Ransomware.
- Malware.
- IOT Hacking.
What to do when someone is harassing you online? ›
File a report with the police district where your business and home are located and include all documentation of the cyber-harassment or cyberstalking. If you have evidence of the perpetrator's identity, file a restraining order because you don't know when that person might take the harassment offline.
How do police catch Internet crimes? ›Law enforcement officials will use cyber forensic analysis tactics to find data and present it as evidence. In order for this evidence to be used in court, the police have to get a warrant to obtain the machines used in the cyber crime.
What is an example of cyberstalking? ›Some examples of cyberstalking include: Sending manipulative, threatening, lewd or harassing emails from an assortment of email accounts. Hacking into a victim's online accounts (such as banking or email) and changing the victim's settings and passwords.
Is it illegal to stalk someone on Instagram? ›Cyberstalking is often accompanied by realtime or offline stalking. In many jurisdictions, such as California, both are criminal offenses.
How many people are Cyberstalked? ›(See Methodology for details on the wording of SVS items.) In 2019, an estimated 0.4% (936,310 persons) of all U.S. residents age 16 or older were victims of cyberstalking, and about 0.2% (538,690 persons) received unwanted emails or messages using the Internet or social media (table 3).