How To Stop Online Harassment: Laws, Reporting, & What You Can Do
Reviewed for accuracy by Joseph Jones on April 29, 2021
If you are experiencing cyber harassment, stalking, or bullying, it can be difficult to know where to turn. You may be thinking: Am I actually experiencing online harassment? How do I report it? Can I sue someone or involve the police? Let’s go over what constitutes online harassment, and what to do if someone targets you on the web.
Harassment is generally defined as a repeated pattern of behavior intended to scare, harm, anger, or shame a targeted individual. Online harassment means these actions occur using digital technologies such as social media platforms, email or messaging services, gaming platforms, or cell phone communication. Examples of such behavior include:
- Posting defamatory remarks intended to harm a person’s reputation
- Publishing private, explicit, or manipulated photos
- Sending threatening messages
- Posting false information or impersonating someone online
Types and Examples of Cyber Harassment
Online harassment, or cyber harassment, includes various forms of online abuse such as cyberbullying, cyberstalking, online impersonation, doxxing (also spelled “doxing”), swatting, revenge porn, sextortion, and more. Many of these acts are considered crimes punishable under federal and state laws, depending on the specific behavior and the harm caused to the victim.
Examples of cyber harassment often take one of the following forms:
- Hate speech is a common form of cyber harassment that involves offensive and discriminatory language or actions motivated by animosity toward aspects of identity such as race, religion, gender identity, etc. While there is no legal definition of hate speech, it’s characterized by the use of slurs, name-calling, and other forms of verbal abuse and can also be conveyed through images and memes on social media.
- Cyberbullying is the intentional, repeated harm inflicted on a person or group through digital means, most commonly through social media platforms. Each state has its own laws regarding cyberbullying, including criminal and school sanctions.
- Cyberstalking is another common example of cyber-harassment that involves targeted and repeated intimidation, threats, and harassment directed toward one person. It can include false accusations, defamation, and digital vandalism. In many cases, it is a crime that’s punishable under federal and state laws.
Keep Yourself Safe
If you are being threatened online, you should stay vigilant in protecting your physical safety as well. Ask yourself: are you acquainted with the perpetrator of your online abuse, or is their identity unknown? If their identity is unknown, you can take steps to unmask them, but you should be aware that this process is often costly and time-consuming. If you know the person harassing you, consider the following red-flag questions:
- Do they know personal details about you, such as where you live?
- Have they made threatening comments? Are their threats specific? A specific threat may mention a time, date, or place where violence will occur.
- Are their claims irrational or erratic? Do they have a history of violent behavior?
If any of the above statements are true, you may need to seek immediate help to maintain your safety. Find a place to stay where you feel protected, and enlist the help of friends or family who can support you as you navigate this situation. If the harassment is work-related, you may need to notify your employer of what’s going on. At this point, some victims may consider involving law enforcement or an attorney. The reality is, different law enforcement agencies and legal offices have varying levels of understanding of cybercrimes. We’ll discuss the legal and criminal consequences of online harassment later on in this article
Document Everything
Luckily, digital media often leaves an overt trail of evidence. Posts are public, messages can be saved, and anything can be screenshotted. While your instinct emotionally could be to delete and ignore offending content, keeping records of the abuse will be key when attempting to get content taken down by social platform companies or if you choose to go to court.
Use screenshots to record incidents of harassment and keep them organized in preparation for taking action against the perpetrator(s). Additionally, make sure to also capture the URL of the account sending the offending messages. Justice will more easily be served if you can also report how the harassment is affecting your physical, emotional, and financial well-being. Keeping a visual record of harmful images, comments, or messages can also help you show evidence of harm without having to relive traumatic events verbally.
What many people don’t realize is that there are specific guidelines and requirements for submitting digital evidence in court. You need to be able to provide details such as metadata, hash values, times & dates, and other “behind the scenes” social media data. So do your best to document everything yourself, and consider hiring an investigative service that specializes in social media court case preparation to assist you
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THE FORUM IS FOR DISCUSSION NOT FOR PEOPLE TO TAKE AGENDAS THAT RUIN EVERYONES TIME THEY TAKE TO COME HERE….
IF YOU HAVE NOTHING TO DO GET A HOBBY BUT HARASSING PEOPLE AND BLOCKING PEOPLE FROM GETTING INFORMATION ON VACCINE DEATHS AND LIES THAT EFFECT PEOPLE’S LIVES SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING……
