Cyber Stalking

Cyber Stalking

Cyber stalking is an online stalk or harassment to an individual person , group of individuals or an organization. The cyber stalker or the attacker harasses a victim using the electronic communication like e-mail or instant messaging. or messages posted in the social network website like facebook , twitter , LinkedIn ,pastebin etc. It may include the making of false accusation , monitoring , making threat , identity theft ,damaging the data , the solicitation of minors for sex or gathering information that may be used harass.

Cyberstalkers find their victims by using search engines, online forums, bulletin and discussion boards, chat room and more recently, through social networking websites such as Facebook, Twitter,My space, Bebo and Indymedia, a media outlet known for self-publishing. They may engage in live chat harassment or they may send electronic viruses and unsolicited e-mails. Cyberstalkers may research individuals to feed their obsessions and curiosity. Conversely, the acts of cyberstalkers may become more intense, such as repeatedly instant messaging their targets

Types of cyber stalking

The cyber stalker may online or it may be offline. the online stalker is a stranger person whom the target knows & in offline the stalker is anonymous and may solicit involvement of other people online who do not even know the target.

information gathering about the victim:- the cyber stalker approaching victim as a friend , family , colleagues to obtain maximum personal information.

False accusation the cuber stalker post the false information about the victim on the website. They create their own website , blogs or user pages for this purpose. They post false allegation about the victim to news group, chat room or in the other sites that allows public contributions such as Wikipedia .

monitoring the target:- They are monitoring all the online activities of the victim and trace the target ip address for more information about the target.

Threatening to victim:- The stalkers are trying to threatening to do some stuff. if the victim deny then they publish the personal information in publicly.

identity theft:- after gathering the personal information the stalker using these information to make a fake identity & claims the victim is harassing him/her.

damaging the data:- They may be trying destroy the data of the victim's computer .

cyber stalking individually

1.close friend or partner:- cyber stalking of close friend or partners the online harassment of a current or former partner. it is a form of domestic violence and main purpose is control the victim in order to encourage social isolation and create dependency. The stalker sends repeated insulting and threatening mails to the victims, monitored the victims email use , and use the victims account to send emails to other posing as the victim or to purchase goods or services the victim doesn't want like subscription of pornography or sex toys .

2.celebrieties or public persons:- In the case of celebrities or public person the stalker knows the victim but the celebrities mayn't know the stalker. In this case the stalker use the social media for harassing the victim . They use social networking websites like www.facebook.com ,www.twitter.com , www.youtube.com and www.linkedin.com etc.

3.woman:- The female victim of Cyber stalking is not only in college days or in the age of 16-28 but also the women are targeted. more than 1 million women are stalked annually in united states & within the past 12 months 9.3 million Americans were victims of identity theft.

4.By Anonymous :- The stalker use the online group of anonymous people to self organize to the target individuals with online defamation, threats of violence and technology based attack. These threats are like posting personal photographs in publicly , rape threatening or other violence , posting sensitive personal information about victim , e-mail threatening from victim to their employers , and manipulating search engines to make damaging material about the victim more prominent .

5.corporate cyberstalking:- The corporate cyber stalking will usually involves one or more individuals targeting a specific company for financial gain or for revenge against a former employee . some organizations use cyberstalking as a way of controlling some of the information posted to the Internet. As an example, recent years have seen many companies use SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) to prevent individuals from publishing various kinds information on the Internet, such as complaints.

Cyberstalking legislation:-

Cyberstalking is a criminal offense that comes into play under state anti-stalking laws, slander laws, and harassment laws. A cyberstalking conviction can result in a restraining order, probation, or even criminal penalties against the assailant, including jail.

many cyberstalkers are creating a situation do evolve into physical stalking & victim may experience abusive and excessive phone calls , vandalism ,threatening or obscene mail , trespassing and physical assault .

While some laws only address online harassment of children, there are laws that protect adult cyberstalking victims. While some sites specialize in laws that protect victims age 18 and under, current and pending cyberstalking-related United States federal and state laws offer help to victims of all ages

The current US Federal Anti-Cyber-Stalking law is found at 47 U S C.

The first U.S. cyberstalking law went into effect in 1999 in California .

Other states include prohibition against cyberstalking in their harassment or stalking legislation. In Florida, HB 479 was introduced in 2003 to ban cyberstalking. This was signed into law on October 2003

Anti cyber-stalking tips

Maintain vigilance over physical access to your computer and other Web-enabled devices like cell phones. Cyberstalkers use software and hardware devices (sometimes attached to the back of your PC without you even knowing) to monitor their victims.

·Be sure you always log out of your computer programs when you step away from the computer and use a screen saver with a password. The same goes for passwords on cell phones. Your kids and your spouse should develop the same good habits.

·Make sure to practice good password management and security. Never share your passwords with others. And be sure to change your passwords frequently! This is very important.

·Do an online search for your name or your family members' now and then to see what's available about you and your kids online. Don't be shy about searching social networks (including your friends' and colleagues'), and be sure to remove anything private or inappropriate.

·Delete or make private any online calendars or itineraries--even on your social network--where you list events you plan to attend. They could let a stalker know where you're planning to be and when.

·Use the privacy settings in all your online accounts to limit your online sharing with those outside your trusted circle. You can use these settings to opt out of having your profile appear when someone searches for your name. You can block people from seeing your posts and photos, too.

·If you suspect that someone is using spyware software to track your everyday activities, and you feel as if you're in danger, only use public computers or telephones to seek help. Otherwise, your efforts to get help will be known to your cyberstalker and this may leave you in even greater danger.

·As always, use good, updated security software to prevent someone from getting spyware onto your computer via a phishing attack or an infected Web page. Check the app store for your mobile devices to see what security software is available. Security software could allow you to detect spyware on your device and decrease your chances of being stalked.

·Reference

·http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberstalking

·http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/cyberstalking

·http://netforbeginners.about.com/od/c/f/What-Is-Cyberstalking.htm

·http://womensissues.about.com/od/violenceagainstwomen/f/Cyberstalking.htm

·http://in.norton.com/cyberstalking/article