Cyberstalking: definition and laws
With the amount of online presence that we have today, it is
extremely easy for stalkers to use the Internet to stalk you.
Cyberstalking sure is a sad and creepy part of modern society. Let’s
take a closer look at how to recognize it, prevent it, and what to do if
you find yourself on a creeper’s radar.
What is cyberstalking?
In the real world, stalking definition is unwanted obsessive
attention to a specific person. Physical stalking can get forms of
following, secretly watching, persistent calling and texting to
manipulate, and finding other means to approach the victim unexpectedly.
Now let’s turn to the digital world. Cyber stalkers are driven by
the same intention – to embarrass, threaten, or harass their victims.
The difference is, they rely on online technology to do it.
Email, social networks, instant messaging, personal data available
online – everything on the Internet can be used by cyberstalkers to make
inappropriate contact with their victims.
But don’t confuse cyberstalking with social media stalking. ‘Doing
research’ on your newly hired colleague by exploring his or her Facebook
profile and Instagram feed is rather innocent. Keeping an eye on
someone’s activity on social media is simply getting insights into one’s
life without giving anything in return.
Cyberstalking is way more serious as it involves nefarious
intentions, ranging from false accusations and defamation to sexual
harassment and even encouraging others to harass the victim. In many
cases, physical and cyber stalking interconnects, making it even more
threatening.
NOTE: Cyberstalking and cyberbullying overlap in many places. If
you’re looking for tips on how to identify and prevent cyberbullying,
click here.
Types of online stalking
#1: Catfishing
Catfishing occurs on social media sites, such as Facebook, 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 profiles of existing users,
impersonating their identity.
If you suspect being catfished, these tips can help you indicate a fake user:
Take a look at the friend’s list. Catfishers rarely have more than 100 friends.
Save the profile picture and run a reverse image search on Google.
If you get links to multiple profiles, it’s a warning sign of an
imposter.
Review user’s photos. If there are only selfies, single-person shots or stock-style pictures, it is likely they aren’t real.
Suggest to make a video call and see how the person reacts. If he or
she starts making excuses, you can suspect that you’re talking to a
catfisher.
#2: Monitoring location check-ins on social media
If you’re adding location check-ins to your Facebook and Instagram
posts, you’re making it super easy for a cyber stalker to track you by
simply scrolling through your social media profiles. When combined
together, location-tagged posts can indicate your behavior patterns
quite accurately.
#3: Visiting you virtually via Google Maps Street View
If cyberstalkers get to know their victim’s home address, all they
have to do is open Google Maps and type it in. By using the Street View,
they can see exactly how the house looks without even stepping into the
victim’s neighborhood and drawing attention. Also, cyberstalkers can
virtually research the environment: surrounding houses, cameras, and
alleys, to get a sense about the neighbors.
#4: Hijacking your webcam
Hijacking a computer’s webcam is one of the creepiest methods
cyberstalkers use to invade victim’s privacy. Creepers would try to
trick you into downloading and installing a malware-infected file that
would grant them access to your webcam. The process is so sneaky that
it’s likely you wouldn’t suspect anything strange. If just the thought
about someone secretly watching you through your webcam gives you
shivers, read how you can tell if your camera has been hacked.
#5: Looking at geotags to track your location
Internet stalkers love geotags – and for a good reason. Every
digital picture you take may contain geotags, which are pieces of
metadata revealing the location of where and when the photo was taken.
Geotags come in the EXIF format, which is embedded into an image file
and can be extracted and viewed with the help of special apps. This way,
a cyberstalker can learn about your whereabouts.
These are just a few of the tricks creepers use, and in fact, they
can get very creative. Let’s look at what you can do to protect yourself
from cyberstalkers.
Protect yourself from cyberstalkers
Review your privacy settings on social media sites. Since these are
the places where cyberstalkers can easily snoop on their victims, make
sure that you’re not oversharing. If possible, adjust your settings so
only people from your friends’ list could see your photos, updates and
personal info.
Feeling tempted to tag the location of that really cool coffee place
you’re at? Try to stop yourself. Also, you can go a step further and
turn off geotagging so that no location-disclosing metadata would be
added to your photo files.
Facebook events are great for planning, but they can also be the
worst in terms of privacy. When appearing in the feed, they can show
your stalker where and when to find you, as well as indicate your
interests.
Set strong and unique passwords for your online accounts. Also,
enable two-factor authentication (2FA) where possible to get an extra
layer of security.
Cyberstalkers can exploit the low security of public Wi-Fi networks
to snoop on your online activity. Therefore, avoid sending private
emails or sharing your sensitive information when connected to an
unsecured public Wi-Fi. Or, use VPN service which will encrypt your
online activity and protect your private data from unwanted snoopers.
Check how much information one can find about you online, or, in
other words, check your “googleability”. If you see that there’s too
much a cyberstalker would find out about you by simply running a search
on Google, try to take some information down.
If you’re being attacked by a cyberstalker through email, messaging
apps, or any other electronic means, keep the records. Save copies and
take screenshots as evidence.
What about cyberstalking laws?
Do cyber stalkers violate any laws? As cyberstalking is a form of
emotional assault, laws governing harassment and slander can be applied
to electronic communications. However, this practice is often
problematic because confrontations in cyberspace are different from
real-life situations.
While some countries apply older laws, others have enacted specific
cyberstalking laws. These laws are relatively new and arguably still
have room for improvement.
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