This document defines cyberstalking and describes the behaviors of cyberstalkers. Cyberstalking involves using technology like the internet or social media to harass, threaten, embarrass or control another person. A cyberstalker may spread false information about their victim, monitor their online activities, order goods in their name, or try to gather private information about them. Cyberstalkers can find victims through search engines, online forums, social media sites and by posting defamatory content to provoke a reaction. Their goal is to harm the victim while remaining anonymous.

1. Cyberstalking

2. What is Cyberstalking?

A technologically-based “attack” on one person
who has been targeted specifically for that attack
for reasons of anger, revenge or control.

Cyberstalking can take many forms, including:
harassment, embarrassment and humiliation of
the victim
emptying bank accounts or other economic
control such as ruining the victim's credit score
harassing family, friends and employers to
isolate the victim
scare tactics to instill fear and more.

3. What is Cyberstalking?

The term can also apply to a “traditional” stalker who
uses technology to trace and locate their victim and their
movements more easily (e.g. using Facebook
notifications to know what party they are attending).

A true cyberstalker’s intent is to harm their intended
victim using the anonymity and untraceable distance of
technology. In many situations, the victims never
discover the identity of the cyberstalkers who hurt them,
despite their lives being completely by the perpetrator.

The actions of a cyberstalker are deliberate and focused
on the consequences to the victim.

4. How can Cyberstalking affect you?

5. What does a cyberstalker do?

False accusations: Many cyberstalkers try to damage
the reputation of their victim and turn other people
against them. They post false information about them on
websites. They may set up their own websites, blogs or
user pages for this purpose. They post allegations about
the victim to newsgroups, chat rooms, or other sites that
allow public contributions.

Attempts to gather information about the victim.
Cyberstalkers may approach their victim's friends,
family, and work colleagues to obtain personal
information. They may advertise for information on the
Internet, or hire a private detective.

Monitoring their target's online activities and attempting
to trace their IP address in an effort to gather more
information about their victims.

6. What does a cyberstalker do?
Encouraging
others to harass the victim. Many
cyberstalkers try to involve third parties in the
harassment. They may claim the victim has harmed
the stalker or his/her family in some way, or may post
the victim's name and telephone number in order to
encourage others to join the pursuit.
False
victimization. The cyberstalker will claim that
the victim is harassing him/her. This phenomenon
has been noted in a number of well-known cases.
Attacks
on data and equipment. They may try to
damage the victim's computer by sending viruses.

7. What does a cyberstalker do?

Ordering goods and services. They order
items or subscribe to magazines in the
victim's name. These often involve
subscriptions to pornography or ordering sex
toys then having them delivered to the victim's
workplace.

Arranging to meet. Young people face a
particularly high risk of having cyberstalkers
try to set up meetings between them.

Cyberstalking is a form of cyberbullying.

8. How did the cyberstalker find me?

9. How did the cyberstalker find me?

Cyberstalkers find their victims by using search engines, online
forums, bulletin and discussion boards, chat rooms, and more
recently, through social networking sites, such as MySpace,
Facebook, Bebo, Friendster, Twitter, and Indymedia, a media
outlet known for self-publishing. They may engage in live chat
harassment or flaming or they may send electronic viruses and
unsolicited e-mails. Cyberstalkers may research individuals to
feed their obsessions and curiosity. Conversely, the acts of
cyberstalkers may become more intense, such as repeatedly
instant messaging their targets.

More commonly they will post defamatory or derogatory
statements about their stalking target on web pages, message
boards, and in guest books designed to get a reaction or
response from their victim, thereby initiating contact. In some
cases, they have been known to create fake blogs in the name
of the victim containing defamatory or pornographic content.

10. How did the cyberstalker find me?

When prosecuted, many stalkers have unsuccessfully attempted
to justify their behavior based on their use of public forums, as
opposed to direct contact. Once they get a reaction from the
victim, they will typically attempt to track or follow the victim's
internet activity. Classic cyberstalking behavior includes the
tracing of the victim's IP address in an attempt to verify their
home or place of employment.

Some cyberstalking situations do evolve into physical stalking,
and a victim may experience abusive and excessive phone
calls, vandalism, threatening or obscene mail, trespassing, and
physical assault. Moreover, many physical stalkers will use
cyberstalking as another method of harassing their victims.

A 2007 study led by Paige Padgett from the University of Texas
Health Science Center found that there was a false degree of
safety assumed by women looking for love online.

11. What can I do to protect myself?

12. References:



Youtube.com
About.com (by cyberstalking expert
Alexis A. Moore, founder of the national
advocacy group Survivors in Action)
Wikipedia.org