Cyberstalking07:30 Sep 29 2016
Times Read: 1,213
One of my pupils I mentor told me she is being cyberstalked. I did some research in providing her facts on how and where to get help. I learned a lot myself while doing the research and I thought I share this in my journal:
Cyberstalking is a serious crime. Call the Police and tell them you want to file a criminal complaint. If convicted it is a Class C Felony.
Here are some facts:
1. If the person makes copies of pictures you taken of yourself and post them else where this is a violation of copyright laws. - Self-taken photos—nude or not—are owned by the photographer, so a website displaying those photos without consent is violating copyright. This would mean getting an attorney for a civil lawsuit.
There was even a issue once about a ape holding a camera and took a selfie did the ape own the picture or the owner of the gorilla.
Half of the states in the U.S. have also updated their laws to allow authorities to press charges against people engaging in cyber stalking and cyber harassment.
2. Even though they may not be helpful, tell the relevant authorities, and clearly tell this person to stop contacting YOU. Make sure you keep some type of proof you have told this person to stop.
3. Do NOT respond to messages or accept ANY online communications from this person after you tell them to stop.
4. Keep and document both within whatever app or system the messages are sent, and with screenshots in case the harasser tries to delete the messages themselves.
5. If the person is contacting you though free email or social-media accounts, you can and should file complaints with the company, report the messages to social media outlets, and block the person from your phone or friends list. Of course, social-media companies generally don't have a great record of dealing with abuse either. You might not get a great response from the companies that you report them too its still worth doing, if only to cover your bases.
(Currently there is a case before the US Supreme Court about a lady being hassled online by the ex. The Supreme Court’s decision on this case will solidify how the intent to threaten a person translates online. The case is important not only for clarifying the doctrine around true threats and free speech, but also “in pushing the conversation about law enforcement, prosecution, and threats to include a much more sophisticated understanding of the ways in which the Internet is not just a rally or a letter.)
6. Take advantage of privacy settings. With some social networking sites, you may be able to make your profile completely private simply by checking a box. With others, such as Facebook, privacy settings can be complex to navigate. Take advantage of added security settings. One of the best examples is two-factor authentication. When you enable this, your account will require you to provide something you know (like a password) with something you have (like a specific device). Therefore, if someone gets your password he or she will not be able to log in to the account without the specific code that the service sends to your device. You can find a list of sites offering two-factor authentication at https://twofactorauth.org/.
7. Limit how much personal information you post to your account. For example, you may not want to include contact information, your birth date, the city you were born in or names of family members.
8. Avoid online polls or quizzes, particularly those that ask for personal information.
9. Don't post photographs of your home that might indicate its location. For example, don't post photographs showing a house number or an identifying landmark in the background.
10. Interstate Stalking (1996; 2000). Section 2261A(1) makes it a federal crime to travel across state, tribal or international lines to stalk another person with " the intent to kill, injure, harass, or place under surveillance with intent to kill, injure, harass, or intimidate another person." Furthermore, the travel must result in reasonable fear of death, serious bodily injury or substantial emotional distress either to a victim or a victim's family member, spouse or intimate partner. Section 2261A(2) makes it a federal crime to stalk another person across state, tribal or international lines, using regular mail, email, or the Internet. The stalker must have the intent to kill, injure, harass, intimidate or cause substantial emotional distress, or to place a victim or a victim's family member, spouse or intimate partner in fear of death or serious bodily injury. (18 U.S.C. Section 2261A)
https://victimsofcrime.org/our-programs/stalking-resource-center/stalking-laws/federal-stalking-laws
http://www.cybertelecom.org/cda/47usc223.htm
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