Victims of Cyberstalking in the News

(This clip was not created by me. Click here to watch video on YouTube. Reference: ANews.  Credit goes to ANewsVanIsland for uploading this to YouTube.)

This clip is from ANews. I found this clip while browsing through YouTube.  I thought ANews did an excellent job at explaining what people should do when they are cyberstalked.

Why I Created This Blog (Audio)

Click here to play the audio. 

Future Recommendations

It is evident that there will be a need to create new laws or amend existing laws as more communication technologies emerge.  It is important to be safe on the Internet.  Every action in cyber-space has a consequence.  Additionally, people need to be cautious when befriending people on the Internet.  It is important to remember that information that is sent via these new communication technologies can be recorded and traced to the original sender, which is why people need to be careful what they send.  

I recommend that people only send information via the Internet when it is absolutely necessary.  People should make sure to edit emails, instant messages or posts before they send it.  In most cases, it is almost impossible to edit information once it is sent.  People need to always put their best foot forward when using a public sphere and make sure to be as professional as possible because information can always be traced back to the original sender, especially on social networking sites.  Use the Internet with caution.

Types of Cyberstalkers

                  McFarlane and Bocij (2005) conducted one of the most exhaustive studies on cyberstalkers and stalking victims and found four types of stalkers that emerged from their data.  The four types of cyberstalkers are the vindictive cyberstalker, the composed cyberstalker, the intimate cyberstalker, and the collective cyberstalker (Pittaro, 2007).  The vindictive cyberstalker is a type of cyberstalker that is malicious.  Offenders in this group harassed or threatened victims far more often than offenders in the other groups.  This group was more likely to use spiteful tactics that were intended to continuously harass victims through excessive spamming, email bombing, and identity theft.  They were the only group that used Trojans to gain access to the victim’s computer and deliberately infect the computer with a computer virus (McFarlane and Bocij, 2005; Pittaro, 2007). 

                The composed cyberstalker targets victims in a calm manner.  The cyberstalkers in this group harass victims to cause constant distress through a variety of threatening behaviors.  The intimate cyberstalker group pursues victims based on infatuation and obsession.  This group is the most diverse, because some of the offenders had a previous relationship with the victim.  Collective cyberstalkers consist of two or more individuals who pursue the same victim (McFarlane & Bocij, 2005).  The computer skills of this group were high when compared to the other three groups (McFarlane & Bocij, 2005; Pittaro, 2007).  

References

McFarlane, L., & Bocij, P. (2003). Cyber stalking: defining the invasion of cyberspace. Forensic Update, 1(72), 18-22.

Pittaro, M. (2007). Cyber stalking: an analysis of online harassment and intimidation. International Journal of Cyber Criminology, 1(2), 180-197. 

Victims of Cyberstalking

There are several factors that can increase an individual’s chance of becoming a victim.  Goode (1995) claimed that up to 80% of offline stalking victims are from average socio-economic backgrounds.  Hitchcock (2000) stated that 90% of offline stalking victims were female.  Working to Halt Online Abuse (2000) reported that 87% of online harassment/cyberstalking victims were female.  The problem with these statistics is that females have also been shown to be more likely than males to report being a victim of online harassment/cyberstalking, which indicates that the studies may not represent true victims (Maxwell, 2001).  A University of Cincinnati study found that 25% of college women had been cyberstalked (Tjaden &Thoennes, 1997; Maxwell, 2001). 

                Studies have indicated that previous relationships increase the likelihood of being stalked offline.  Zona, et al. (1993) claimed that 65% of offline victims had a previous relationship with the stalker.  However, Working to Halt Online Abuse (2000) found that 53% of cyberstalking victims had no prior relationship with the offender.  The majority of cyberstalking victims are inexperienced internet users.  These victims allow information to be freely available to anyone without knowing the risk. 

                Bocij and McFarlane (2003) found that 67% of cyberstalking victims were Caucasian;  3.9% of cyberstalking victims were Asian; and 1.6% were African American.  Follow-up studies indicated that most victims were Caucasian women between the ages of 18 and 30 (McFarlane & Bocij, 2003; Pittaro, 2007). 

Click here to read one woman's story of how she was cyberstalked.

Below is another woman's story of being a victim of cyberstalking.

(This YouTube video was not created by me.  This video was created by another person.  Click here to watch the video on YouTube. Reference: ACPO Home Office. (2010). Tackling Stalking & Harassment in Homicide Prevention. Credit goes to survivingstalking for uploading this to YouTube.)

References

McFarlane, L., & Bocij, P. (2003). Cyber stalking: defining the invasion of cyberspace. Forensic Update, 1(72), 18-22.

Pittaro, M. (2007). Cyber stalking: an analysis of online harassment and intimidation. International Journal of Cyber Criminology, 1(2), 180-197.


Working to Halt Online Abuse (WHO@). (2000). Online Harassment Statistics, Available at http://www.haltabuse.org/.

Tjaden, P. & Thoennes, N. (1997). Stalking in America: findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey. National Institute of Justice and Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Washington DC. Available at http://www.ncjrs.org.

Zona, M.A., Sharma, K.K. & Lone, J. (1993). A Comparative Study of Erotomanic and Obsessional Subjects in a Forensic Sample. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 38, 894-903.

Hitchcock, J.A. (2000). Cyberstalking. Link-Up, 17(4).

Goode, M. (1995). Stalking: Crime of the Nineties?. Criminal Law Journal, 19, 21-31.

Maxwell, A. (2001). Cyberstalking. Department of Psychology: Auckland University

Jayne A Hitchcock Talks About Internet Safety

I felt that this was an excellent presentation on how to be safe on the Internet.  Enjoy the video and make sure to be safe on the Internet.  People should not be afraid of the Internet because the Internet does have a lot to offer; however, people need to know how to avoid problems.  Just like the real world, the Internet is not perfect and there are problems.  Being educated about how to use the Internet safely is the best defense against cyber crime.

(This video was not created by me.  The video can be viewed on YouTube by clicking here. Video Professor featuring Jayne Hitchcock. Credit goes to shibahill for uploading this to YouTube.)

Coping and Longterm Effects

Working to Halt Online Abuse (2000) reported that most people coped from being cyberstalked by contacting their internet service provider.  They found that 49% of cyberstalking victims coped by contacting their internet service provider;  16% coped by contacting the police;  12% of cyberstalking victims coped by other means, which included ignoring messages, taking civil action, or not returning to the place the cyberstalking incident occured.

There have been studies that looked at the psychological impact on victims.  Westrup, et al (1999) studied the psychological effects of 232 female offline stalking victims and found that most victims had symptoms of PTSD, depression, and anxiety.  Mullen and Pathe (1997) found that 20% of victims increased their alcohol consumption, and 74% of victims suffered from sleep disturbances. 

References

Mullen, P.E., Pathe, M., Purcell, R. & Stuart, G.W. (1999). Study of Stalkers. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 156(8), 1244-1249.

Westrup, D., Fremouw, W.J., Thompson, R.N. & Lewis, S.F. (1999). The Psychological Impact of Stalking in Female Undergraduates. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 44(3), 554-557.

Working to Halt Online Abuse (WHO@). (2000). Online Harassment Statistics