Cyber+Stalking

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Criminals in today’s society are capable of using technology for unscrupulous means, whether it is through credit card, cell phone or computer fraud. The internet has also become a hot bed for scam artists and more recently to online harassment or what is now termed ‘cyber stalking’.

Cyber stalking refers to “the use of the Internet or other electronic means to stalk someone. This term is used interchangeably with online harassment and online abuse.” (Wikipedia) In other words, it is an extension of physical stalking into electronic mediums such as the internet.



Legal Issues
Stalking in it's original form has existed for hundreds of years but it is only in recent decades that it has been recognized in the law, and more recent still for the acknowledgement of cyber stalking.

The issues that surround these types of cases include the fact that since the internet is so far reaching, someone from one country can harass somone else on another continent. The difficulty here is that this may reach across several jurisdictions and statutes of different countries making it difficult to coordinate effective deterrents. Many countries don't even have legislation on the books for this crime, "Of the US states that have anti-stalking laws, only seven contain language that deal with stalking by computer" (Jenson, 1996; Meloy, 1998)

Anonymity is a second concern in these types of cases. The internet lends itself well to someone who would like to remain anonymous. Using free email accounts such as [|Hotmail] or G Mail as well as IP masking technologies make it easier and easier to keep your identity a secret.

Usually the most at risk individuals are women aged 18-29 and become entangled in a stalking situation. This usually occurs after a change in the relationship between the victim and the stalker such as a break up or change in employment. This leads us to believe that most victims know their stalkers. Lower down is a list of steps to take when you are being stalked.

Stalking Typologies and Pathologies (Courtroom Television Network)

 * Simple Obsessional: These cases typically involve a victim and a perpetrator who have a prior relationship. This group comprises the largest of the categories (47 percent (Geberth, 1992)), and also poses most threat to the victim. The motivation behind this may be coercion to re-enter a relationship, or revenge aimed at making the life of the former intimate uncomfortable through the inducement of fear.
 * Love Obsessional: Most likely involving no prior relationship. The victims may become known through the media, or perhaps through the Internet. Love obsessional stalkers comprise the second largest group of approximately 43% (Geberth, 1992). A large number of these individuals may be suffering from a mental disorder such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. The most common type is the individual who pursues a celebrity, which may be more familiar as the "obsessed fan syndrome".
 * Erotomanic: These cases differ from Love Obsessional in that they possess the delusion that the target of the behaviour is in love with them (lowest incidence in the Zona and Threat Management Unit study (Geberth, 1992). Research would indicate that perpetrators are more likely to be female, with the majority of victims being older males of higher social status. Further broken into two categories of primary (or pure) erotomania where no other significant disorders are present, and secondary erotomania where the disorder is the result of another significant, dominant pathology.
 * False Victimisation Syndrome: This group accuses another person, either real or imaginary of stalking (Hickey, 1997) to foster sympathy and support from those around them. The majority of the perpetrators seem to be female (adapted from Zona and others; Mullen and Pathe, 1994; Mullen, 1997).



Ways to Avoid Cyber Stalking
1. Do not reveal any personal information such as your name, address or phone number while on the internet.

2. Use a seudonym or screen name when chatting online.

3. Only visit accredited web sites with valid registration procedures for online chatting and email.

What To Do If You Are Being Cyberstalked
(Cyberguards.com)
 * If you are receiving unwanted contact, make clear to that person that you would like him or her not to contact you again.
 * Save all communications for evidence. Do not edit or alter them in any way. Also, keep a record of your contacts with Internet system administrators or law enforcement officials.
 * You may want to consider blocking or filtering messages from the harasser. Many e-mail programs such as Eudora and Microsoft Outlook have a filter feature, and software can be easily obtained that will automatically delete e-mails from a particular e-mail address or that contain offensive words. Chat room contact can be blocked as well. Although formats differ, a common chat room command to block someone would be to type: /ignore  (without the brackets). However, in some circumstances (such as threats of violence), it may be more appropriate to save the information and contact law enforcement authorities.
 * If harassment continues after you have asked the person to stop, contact the harasser's Internet Service Provider (ISP). Most ISP's have clear policies prohibiting the use of their services to abuse another person. Often, an ISP can try to stop the conduct by direct contact with the stalker or by closing their account. If you receive abusive e-mails, identify the domain (after the "@" sign) and contact that ISP. Most ISP's have an e-mail address such as abuse@(domain name) or postmaster@(domain name) that can be used for complaints. If the ISP has a website, visit it for information on how to file a complaint.
 * Contact your local police department and inform them of the situation in as much detail as possible. In appropriate cases, they may refer the matter to state or federal authorities. If you are afraid of taking action, there are resources available to help you, Contact either: -The National Domestice Violence Hotline, 800-799-SAFE (phone); 800-787-3224 (TDD) -A local women's shelter for advice and support.

Stalking on Campus
(National Center for Victims of Crime)
 * 13% of college women were stalked during one six- to ninemonth period.
 * 80% of campus stalking victims knew their stalkers.
 * 3 in 10 college women reported being injured emotionally or psychologically from being stalked.

Stalking vs Luring
Some may associate cyber stalking with child predators, but in fact this is refered to as cyberluring. In cyberluring, the criminal attempts to meet with the child and either harm or make them perform a sexual act. The intent in many cyber stalking cases is usually aimed at fear and intimidation where the stalker would usually prefer to remain anonymous. (Wiredsafety.org)

Resources
1. Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberstalking

2. image The Age http://www.theage.com.au/ffxImage/urlpicture_id_1048653803484_2003/03/27/commerce.jpg

3. Meloy, J.R. (1996). "Stalking (obsessional following): A review of Some Preliminary Studies. Aggression and Violent Behaviour, 1 (2), p. 147 - 162.

4. Jenson, B. (1996). Cyberstalking: Crime, enforcement and personal responsibility in the on-line world.

5. ©2005 Courtroom Television Network LLC. All Rights Reserve http://www.crimelibrary.com/criminal_mind/psychology/cyberstalking/3.html

6. Wiredsafety.org, http://www.wiredsafety.org/cyberstalking_harassment/csh5.html

7. Cyberguards, http://www.cyberguards.com/CyberStalking.html

8. NCVC.org/src [Fisher, Cullen, and Turner. (2000). “The Sexual Victimization of College Women,” NIJ/BJS.]