Nowadays, digital technology is also being used extensively for cyberstalking. Let us know in this article as to What Is Cyberstalking in Cyber Security?
If you are using the Internet or social media, then perhaps you will have heard about cyberstalking or you may have faced cyber stalking at some point in time, in a big or small way.
Although men are also victims of this, women have to face it more. A cyberstalker can stalk a victim on social media, troll them and send threatening comments.
They can also commit identity theft by creating false social media profiles or blogs in the name of the victim. Sometimes they can even hack the email accounts of the victim or his friends to connect to his connection.
A cyberstalker adopts various tactics to track the victim through social networking platforms including SMS, phone calls, emails etc.
A cyber stalker tries to access personal information of users like photo, address, contact number, whereabouts etc. through social networking websites and mobile apps and uses this information to threaten, blackmail or physically assault the victim.
Apart from this, they can also send threatening or obscene messages through email. Many times these emails are infected with computer malware or viruses, which can render the sender’s email useless.
What Is Cyberstalking in Cyber Security?
When a person or a group of persons stalks another person or a group of persons through the internet and tries to harm, harass or harass him in any way, it is called cyber stalking.
If a mobile phone is also used along with the internet for such crimes then it is also called ‘stalking’.
Cyberstalking is also called online stalking or internet stalking. Sometimes all this can also be done directly by an organization.
In short, harassment of a person through technology using the internet is called cyberstalking. This is a form of cyber crime.
Examples of Cyberstalking:
Monitoring someone’s activities through the Internet, tampering with/damaging someone’s data, tools, devices, threatening them, making false allegations against them, stealing their identity, abusing, sexual harassment, aggression, harassment etc.
Reasons of Cyberstalking:
Prominent psychological reasons for stalking are Retribution, Envy, Anger, Fury, Severe Narrowing, Mental Disorder, Religious Fanaticism, Sexual deviation, masochistic fantasy, internet addiction, try to control etc.
What Are The Types of Cyberstalking?
Cyberstalking via email:
Cyberstalking most commonly takes the form of unsolicited e-mail. It is possible to send computer viruses or other junk mail to the victim via email. These emails may contain frightening threats that terrify the recipient.
Cyberstalking on the Internet:
Cyberstalking on the internet makes harassment more public than private. A stalker may enter chat rooms and pose as the victim, or they may take advantage of the victim’s information to entice users to engage in the demeaning behavior.
This entails monitoring their victims’ social media activity. On social media, we post freely, but it is unethical to use someone else’s image or video without that person’s consent. Through relentless surveillance, the stalker can obtain extensive details, including family members, and subject them to harassment. Social media can be used by harassers to send their victims unwelcome or ominous messages.
The practice of catfishing:
A person who engages in catfishing uses social media to approach victims by fabricating a profile or replicating an already-existing one. This fictitious profile can be used by the person catfishing to obtain details about the victim. Later on, this information might be exploited for harassment.
Cyberstalking on computers:
Once the victim connects to the internet, computer stalkers will have direct access to them. To get rid of the stalker, the victim needs to contact their Internet Service Provider (ISP) or change their internet address.
Surveillance or Spying:
These days, it seems easier to spy using a GPS or Google Map. It is simple to locate the victim’s location through social media posts or images. When the live location feature is enabled, tracking a victim’s whereabouts is also possible. Harassers are able to track their victims by installing malicious software on their devices.
Hacking of Webcams:
By infecting the victim’s computer with malicious files, webcams can be taken over. They can even record their victim’s everyday activities and utilize them as a means of harassment by taking control of their webcam.
It is common that multiple stalking methods are used to harass victims.
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What Is The First Case of Cyberstalking?
The first cyberstalking case in India was reported in 2001. Manish Kathuria was using Ms. Ritu Kohli’s name to illegally converse on the website www.mirc.com while stalking her.
Vulgar and offensive language, gave out her home phone number, and invited people to call and speak with her. Consequently, Ms. Ritu Kohli was receiving lewd calls from different parts of India and overseas, and people were talking dirty with her.
She reported the incident to the Delhi police while still in shock. Her case was filed with the police under Section 509 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 for provoking Ritu Kohli’s modesty.
However, Section 509 only covers statements, gestures, and actions meant to disparage a woman’s modesty. When the same actions are taken online, no mention is made of them in the aforementioned section.
The Indian government was alarmed by this case and realized that the laws pertaining to the aforementioned crime and the protection of victims under it needed to be amended.
Who Are The Most Common Victims of Cyberstalking?
It is found that incidents of Cyberstalking mostly happen to women, although 20 to 40 percent of men also become victims of it.
What Are The Signs of Cyberstalking:
If these signs are found in your teen, then understand that she/he is probably suffering from cyberstalking and you have to take proper steps to help them –
- They use the internet in private for an uncommonly long time.
- At odd hours, they receive calls, emails, or messages.
- They behave suspiciously when they are online.
- They are getting presents from people they don’t know.
- After using the internet, they appear disturbed, afraid, angry, or in tears.
Consequences Of Cyberstalking:
Similar to traditional stalking, cyberstalking can have negative physical and psychological effects on its targets. Online harassment victims suffer from anxiety, rage, disorientation, insomnia, and other medical problems. The general wellbeing of victims of cyberstalking is impacted. They generally feel suicidal thoughts, depression, anxiety, and distress.
It’s critical that you get assistance if you’re being cyberstalked. If you believe you are in imminent danger, you can call a loved one, visit a mental health professional, get legal counsel, or even report the stalker to the police.
Difference Between Cyberstalking and Cyberbullying:
Cyberstalking is when someone harasses a victim online for retaliation, control, or anger via social media, instant messaging, electronic communication devices, discussion groups, etc. A stalker could be someone the victim knows well or someone they don’t.
Cyberbullying is primarily defined as when someone in the same age range uses the internet, interactive and digital technologies, or electronic devices to harass, humiliate, torment, threaten, embarrass, or target a child, preteen, or teen. It is referred to as cyber-harassment or cyberstalking if adults are involved.
Cyberbullying is a hostile, intentional, and recurrent phenomenon. It can be as easy as bugging someone or sending the same texts or emails over and over.
How To Deal With Cyberstalking?
- Inform the cyberstalker in writing that you do not want to be contacted and that you will report them to the police if they do not comply.
- Don’t interact with the stalker in any way after they’ve issued a warning.
- If the harassment doesn’t stop, call the police.
- If you believe that spyware is being used to track you, get assistance by using a friend’s or family member’s phone.
- Have any spyware or indications of compromised accounts removed from your devices.
- Change all the passwords.
- Block the offender from your social media accounts using your privacy settings, and notify the network of the abuse.
- Put offensive emails in a different folder so you don’t have to read them.
- Contact abuse@domainname or postmaster@domainname if you know the stalker’s ISP, or the portion of their email address that comes after the @ symbol.
- For such situations, Google offers the following support system: https://support.google.com/mail/contact/abuse
- If there are cyberstalkers at work, let your employer know.
- Ensure you have copies of all correspondence, police reports, and network emails.
- Restore the proof using an external drive.
How to Prevent Cyberstalking?
- Make sure your personal and professional accounts are kept apart.
- Never post your phone number, email address, or address on social media.
- Never provide your current location on social media.
- It is advisable to refrain from using your mobile device or other electronic appliances to track location using the GPS.
- Don’t respond to messages from strangers.
- Prior to sharing or posting, check the privacy settings.
Is Cyberstalking A Crime?
Yes, Cyberstalking is a form of cyber crime. This time, only a few nations—Australia, India, the United Kingdom, Poland, and a few US states—have laws against cyberstalking, despite the fact that it’s becoming a common online crime with dire repercussions in real life.
Cyberstalking is illegal in the UK under the Malicious Communications Act 1998, and it is also prohibited in Australia under the Stalking Amendment Act of 1999 from using technology of any kind to harass a specific victim.
According to attorney Alexsander Carvalho, a specialist in digital law in the US, the first such law was introduced in California in 1999, and other states quickly followed suit by defining cyberstalking in their legal codes. The Violence Against Women Act, a federal law, is another tool to combat cyberstalking.
Brazil is currently among the nations that acknowledge this issue. With the implementation of a new law on April 1, 2021, stalking—or more accurately, persecuting someone—became illegal in Brazil. The penalty for stalking is six to twenty-four months in prison as well as a fine.
What Is The Penalty For Cyberstalking In India?
Crimes like cyberstalking/bullying are very easy to commit, but their consequences are long lasting.
Many cyber crimes are included in the Indian Penal Code (IPC). You can lodge an FIR for cyber crime at your nearest local police station. The provisions of the following Acts allow punishment of the offender.
- Section 292 of IPC
- Section 507 of IPC
- Section 354D of IPC
- Section 509 of IPC
- Section 67 of IT Act
- Section 67A of IT Act
- Section 67B of IT Act
How Do I Report Cyberstalking in India?
You can file a complaint online at https://i4c.mha.gov.in/ncrp.aspx, the NCRP portal, as it will reach the relevant authorities the quickest. The central government launched this initiative to help cybercrime victims.
Although it handles all forms of cybercrime, the portal primarily focuses on resolving cases involving women and children.
Once a complaint is submitted through the NCRP portal, police and other law enforcement agencies are expected to respond promptly.
Register a grievance at the closest police station: A victim may also report cybercrime in person at the closest police station. The Police will either move the case to the cyber cell or take action.
Approaching a police station is also a good idea if you want to inform them that someone has stolen your identity and could use it to deceive more people. With identity proof, the complaint may serve as your defense in future criminal cases.
Helpline Contact Numbers:
- National Cyber Crime Helpline Number.: 1930
- National Police Helpline Number: 112
- National Hotline For Women: 181
- Toll-free Police Control Room in India: 100
Another Online Complaint Facility: The following link can also be used to report cybercrime: https://cybercrime.gov.in/
Conclusion:
In this article, we discussed how fraudsters harass people by cyberstalking and how we can avoid them.
That’s all for now my friend! I hope this article will be valuable for you. You can reach me through the emails given below. I will love your valuable comments and feedback.
Yours
Abhijit Ranjan