Cyberstalking

Thursday, 09 January 2014
Below is some information to help prevent cyber stalking. The main point though is if you feel threatened contact the police and they have tools to track down the stalker.

Here are a few important pointers to help you thwart cyberstalking, whether it's directed at you, your PC, or your family:

Maintain vigilance over physical access to your computer and other Web-enabled devices like cell phones. Cyberstalkers use software and hardware devices (sometimes attached to the back of your PC without you even knowing) to monitor their victims.
Be sure you always log out of your computer programs when you step away from the computer and use a screensaver with a password. The same goes for passwords on cell phones. Your kids and your spouse should develop the same good habits.
Make sure to practice good password management and security. Never share your passwords with others. And be sure to change your passwords frequently! This is very important.
Do an online search for your name or your family members' now and then to see what's available about you and your kids online.

Don't be shy about searching social networks (including your friends' and colleagues'), and be sure to remove anything private or inappropriate.

Delete or make private any online calendars or itineraries--even on your social network--where you list events you plan to attend. They could let a stalker know where you're planning to be and when.

Use the privacy settings in all your online accounts to limit your online sharing with those outside your trusted circle. You can use these settings to opt out of having your profile appear when someone searches for your name. You can block people from seeing your posts and photos, too.

If you suspect that someone is using spyware software to track your everyday activities, and you feel as if you're in danger, only use public computers or telephones to seek help. Otherwise, your efforts to get help will be known to your cyberstalker and this may leave you in even greater danger.

As always, use good, updated security software to prevent someone from getting spyware onto your computer via a phishing attack or an infected Web page. Security software could allow you to detect spyware on your device and decrease your chances of being stalked.

Teach Your Children

You might sound like a broken record, but keep on telling your kids they should never provide any personal information about themselves online, no matter how safe they think it might be. Tell them never to indicate their real name, school, address, or even the city where they live. Phone numbers are not to be distributed online, and if a stranger contacts them via any method, they need to let you know right away. Encourage your kids to tell you if they're being cyberstalked.

As parents, you should report cyberstalking to a teacher or school administrator and, if it seems serious, the police.

Report It

If you're being cyberstalked, remember to keep a copy of any message or online image that could serve as proof. In fact, show your children how to use the "print screen" or other keyboard functions to save screenshots.

Most important, don't be afraid to report cyberstalking to the police. Many police departments have cybercrime units, and cyberstalking is a crime.

Cyberstalking is the use of the Internet or other electronic means to stalk or harass an individual, a group of individuals, or an organization.^[1] It may include the making of false accusations or statements of fact (as in defamation), monitoring, making threats, identity theft, damage to data or equipment, the solicitation of minors for sex, or gathering information that may be used to harass. The definition of "harassment" must meet the criterion that a reasonable person, in possession of the same information, would regard it as sufficient to cause another reasonable person distress.^[2] Cyberstalking is different from spatial or offline stalking in that it occurs through the use of electronic communications technology such as the internet. However, it sometimes leads to it, or is accompanied by it.^[3] Both are criminal offenses.^[4] Cyberstalking shares important characteristics with offline stalking; many stalkers – online or off – are motivated by a desire to control their victims.^[5]

Cyberstalking is the use of the Internet or other electronic means to stalk or harass an individual, a group of individuals, or an organization.^[1] It may include the making of false accusations or statements of fact (as in defamation), monitoring, making threats, identity theft, damage to data or equipment, the solicitation of minors for sex, or gathering information that may be used to harass. The definition of "harassment" must meet the criterion that a reasonable person, in possession of the same information, would regard it as sufficient to cause another reasonable person distress.^[2] Cyberstalking is different from spatial or offline stalking in that it occurs through the use of electronic communications technology such as the internet. However, it sometimes leads to it, or is accompanied by it.^[3] Both are criminal offenses.^[4] Cyberstalking shares important characteristics with offline stalking; many stalkers – online or off – are motivated by a desire to control their victims.

Stalking is a continuous process, consisting of a series of actions, each of which may be entirely legal in itself. Technology ethics professor Lambèr Royakkers writes that:

[Stalking] is a form of mental assault, in which the perpetrator repeatedly, unwantedly, and disruptively breaks into the life-world of the victim, with whom he has no relationship (or no longer has), with motives that are directly or indirectly traceable to the affective sphere. Moreover, the separated acts that make up the intrusion cannot by themselves cause the mental abuse, but do taken together (cumulative effect).

CyberAngels has written about how to identify cyberstalking:

When identifying cyberstalking "in the field," and particularly when considering whether to report it to any kind of legal authority, the following features or combination of features can be considered to characterize a true stalking situation: malice, premeditation, repetition, distress, obsession, vendetta, no legitimate purpose, personally directed, disregarded warnings to stop, harassment, and threats.

Good info to remember. I am very careful when I am `out and about' using another computer. My use is near 100% at home with my desktop.I have been on the Net for 20 years, but still need to be reminded of securing my usage of sites on the Web. I have been stalked, a little, by some `strategic trolls' but nothing came of it. The were `knocking at my door, but couldn't get in' Thank you for these posts!