|
ANGEL CO-OP SPECIAL
CYBERSTALKING: HOW SAFE ARE YOU?
In 1993, The Canadian Panel on
Violence Against Women reported that:
-
54% of women had experienced
some form of unwanted or intrusive sexualized experience before
reaching the age of 16.
-
51% of women have been the
victims of rape or intended rape.
-
27% of women have experienced a
physical assault in an intimate relationship.
-
In 25% of the cases, women who
were physically assaulted reported that their partners explicitly
threatened to kill them (Canadian Panel on Violence Against Women,
1993).
Cyberstalking—a
term so new that many are unsure what it means, or how it could impact our
lives. But that does not mean that ignorance is bliss. Cyberstalking is
a very real problem that needs to be addressed just as domestic violence
was a real problem in 1968 when there was no research being done in this
field.
Cyberspace “is an emotionless
electronic communication system . . . [a place] where people meet and chat
with strangers, . . . a place of lowered inhibitions, . . . [a place
where] anonymity and physical distance mean that people online are
protected from the immediate consequences of their actions” (Hatcher,
2000).
Cyberstalking is an extension of “physical” stalking.
Four years ago, the word “cyberstalking” was not in existence. People did
not know what to call this phenomenon of getting harassed through or via
the computer. Some called it online harassment, online abuse or
cyber-harassment (Hitchcock, 2000). Our findings show that:
-
3/4 of stalking victims are
female (The Daily Statistics Canada, 2000). Over 90% of cyberstalking
victims are female as well (Court TV's Crime Library, retrieved
2003).
-
The effects on cyberstalking
victims are just as debilitating and terrorizing as the effects on women
who are physically stalked.
Stalking
"Stalking is a knowing, purposeful course of conduct
directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to fear
bodily injury or death to his or herself or a member of his or her
immediate family." (Wallace, Harvey.1999, p. 326).
-
Stalking is following a person
or anyone known to that person.
-
Stalking is communicating with
that person or anyone known to that person, directly or indirectly. For
example, threatening or harassing phone calls,
sending messages, flowers or uttering threats.
-
Stalking is watching a place
where that person lives, works or visits.
-
Stalking is engaging in
threatening conduct towards a person or a member of that person's
family.
-
These behaviors must be done
repeatedly. (Duhaine, Lloyd, 1996).
-
Canadian Criminal Law calls
stalking “harassment”.
-
According to Statistics Canada
in the1999 Criminal code, harassment or stalking appeared to be on the
rise.
-
106 police forces reported that
there were a total of 5,382 incidents of stalking. This is up 32% from
1996. This could be due to more awareness from the public and from the
police to the risks and seriousness of this crime.
-
Most victims of stalking are
women and most of the women knew the perpetrator. In many cases they had
been in a previous relationship together.
-
Current or former partners
stalked more than half of the victims.
-
25% of the victims were stalked
by a casual acquaintance.
-
Among ten selected cities in
Canada, Saskatoon had the highest rate of stalking in 1999. There were
75 incidents per 100 000 people.
-
In 1999, less than 2% of the
stalking cases involved physical injury to the victim but the
obsessiveness and repetitiveness of the crime can have profound
emotional and psychological effects on the victim.
-
Stalking has the potential to
progress to a more serious crime.
-
Between 1997-1999 there were
nine stalking-related homicides in Canada. In each of these cases, it
was a woman who was being stalked by a recently separated husband, lover
or an ex-husband. (The Daily Statistics Canada, 2000)
Cyberstalking
There is not a universal definition describing
cyberstalking that has been accepted yet. It usually refers to the use of
e-mail, Internet or other telecommunications to harass or stalk another
person. It is not just unwanted e-mail. Like stalking, cyberstalking is
methodical, deliberate, persistent, and is intended to distress the
victim. The communication may be from someone who is known or unknown; it
does not stop after the victim has requested that the sender stop.
Cyberstalkers do not just send unwanted communication; they use a variety
of techniques.
-
Cyberstalkers usually start with
the Internet in order to identify and track their victims.
-
Cyberstalkers may send e-mail,
which is unsolicited, hateful, obscene or threatening in nature.
-
Cyberstalkers may harass the
victim in live chat rooms, either through talking with them or flooding
the chat channel to disrupt other conversations the victim may be
having.
-
Cyberstalkers may post
information about the victim on the Internet or on a web page. The
information may be fact or fiction. They may do this to encourage
unwanted contact from a third party.
-
Cyberstalkers may assume the
victim's identity while they are on-line or in chat rooms.
-
Cyberstalkers may use “mail
bombs”, that is, shut down the victim's e-mail by clogging it. They may
send a virus to the victim's computer or they may send a huge amount of
electronic junk mail, this is called “spamming”. (Gregorie, Trudy M.,
retrieved, 2003).
-
They can disconnect the target’s
Internet over and over.
-
They may threaten the victim on
line. (Hatcher Colin, Gabriel, 2000)
-
Cyberstalkers may be located on
the other side of the world, across the country, across town or in the
next office. The target of their violence might be a former friend or
partner or a complete stranger. The two, harrasser and victim, may have
met in a chat room, passed on the street or have been high school
acquaintances. The cyberstalker might be someone the victim has never
met or laid eyes on-- or a teenager playing a “practical joke”.
It is this inability to identify the stalker that
creates one of the most debilitating effects of this crime.
(Gregorie, Trudy M., Retrieved 2003)
-
Most incidents of cyberstalking
are not related to romances gone badly; in fact most cases are
stranger on stranger. (Hitchcock, J.A., 2000)
-
By the year 2003 NUA Internet
Surveys predicts that there will be five hundred million people on-line.
If only 1% become victims then there will potentially be five million
(5,000,000) people being cyberstalked. (Hitchcock, J.A., 2000)
-
It is very difficult to
ascertain the actual
number of people being cyberstalked due to
the anonymity of electronic communications. Many people feel that
nothing can be done to help them therefore they do not report it. (Court
TVs Crime Library, Date retrieved, 2003)
-
Due to the fact there is an
increasing number of public venues, such as Internet cafes and libraries
that offer Internet services, the advantages this gives a stalker are
manifold. (Mullen, Paul E., Pathe Michelle, Purcell, Rosemary. 2000)
-
Who@, SafetyEd and CyberAngels
estimated they receive up to four hundred requests for help each week
from cyberstalking victims. That is over 20,000 reported cases each
year. (U.S Department of Justice, 1999).
-
Due to the anonymity of using a
computer, a cyberstalker may have the courage to take this crime a step
further. They feel that they can get away with anything. This gives them
the courage to move from cyberstalking to physical stalking. (SecurityWorld.com,
Date retrieved, 2003).
Cyberstalking may be a prelude to physical stalking.
Cyberstalking is an extension of the physical form of stalking. It has the
potential to move from cyberspace to your space; it can go from the
virtual to the actual. All a cyberstalker needs is access to a computer
and a modem. With these tools they can find out vast amounts of private
information about anybody, such as an address, phone number, where a
person lives or works. It does not matter if the victim owns a computer or
has access to the Internet-- the information is still there for some one
to find. The cyberstalker can still post information about the victim on
the Internet. Information is power and that is what stalking is about--
power and control. (Gregorie, Trudy M., retrieved 2003).
Lloyd-Goldstein (1998, p. 209. as seen Mullen, Pathe &
Purcell, 2000) describes the Internet as a 'goldmine of on-line personal
information.' Society cannot ignore the endless possibilities this gives
to stalkers. Not only is it possible to find out private information but
also by typing in your name or your phone number, one of the large
telecommunications providers will give out additional information
including your address and a map leading to your house.
People can mask their identity on the Internet and
stalkers can buy programs that hinder the ability to locate where messages
are being sent from-- this makes it very hard to link the harassment to
one particular individual. This may make it seem impossible to find a
cyberstalker and prosecute him. However, 'pure' cyberstalking is
rare—most often it will cross the virtual and extend into the physical.
(Casey, 1999 as seen in SecurityWorld.com, retrieved, 2003)
Effects of Being Cyberstalked
The notion that cyberstalking does not always involve
physical contact at first is deceiving; people may perceive it as being
less threatening or dangerous than physical stalking. Cyberstalking is
just as frightening and potentially dangerous as physical stalking.
Victims suffer a range of physical, psychological and emotional torment
and trauma. They are traumatized by the faceless terror twenty-four hours
a day, seven days a week.
-
There is a disruption to the victim's peace of mind.
-
They may suffer from sleep disturbances.
-
They may suffer from recurring nightmares.
-
They may become hypervigilant.
-
They suffer from high levels of stress.
-
Victims may feel out of control.
-
Victims may feel a sense of having lost their
personal safety. (Gregorie, Trudy M.,
retrieved, 2003).
-
Victims may suffer from job loss.
-
Being a victim may change or impair their behavior.
(Court TV Crime Library, retrieved, 2003)
-
Victims may have suicidal thoughts.
-
Victims may suffer from flashbacks.
-
Victims may suffer with depression.
-
Victims may suffer posttraumatic stress disorder.
-
Victims may have a fear of strangers, due to the fact
that they do not know who their stalker is, what they look like or where
they live. (U.S Department of Justice
Cyberstalking Study released in August 1999).
-
The victims may feel it is necessary to drastically
change their lives by moving or buying a weapon. (The National
Center for Victims of Crime, retrieved 2003)
-
Cyberstalking victims who have called the National
Center for Victims of Crime have said that they are not taken
seriously by law enforcement agencies. They are not recognized as
victims. They have been told that you can’t be hurt on the Internet, it
is just words, or they should just turn their computer off. This line of
reasoning is unacceptable; a victim should not be expected to walk away
from being harassed. Every woman should have the right to say no to a
relationship however formal or informal without fear of being stalked or
harassed. (Gregorie, Trudy M., retrieved 2003).
According to Section 264 of Canada’s Criminal Code (which was
passed in 1993), stalking is a crime that falls under the category of
criminal harassment. The Code states, “No person shall, without
lawful authority and knowing that another person is harassed (or
recklessly as to whether the other person is harassed):
-
Repeatedly communicate with, either directly or
indirectly, the other person or anyone know to them;
-
Engage in threatening conduct directed at the other
person or any member of their family”.
Source: Department of Justice Canada
The punishment for stalking can be as
high as a five-year jail term. Since these changes were added to the
Code in 1993, the new law now protects individuals even if the conduct
is not done with the intent to scare them. It is enough if it does scare
them.
Resources and Allies
The
following are actors and might support efforts to eradicate cyberstalking
in the community. These groups fall into economic, political and
ideological realms.
Economic Allies
-
Corporations and workplaces that want to protect
the safety of their employees. Since cyberstalking can cross over into
the workplace, companies want to see an increase in privacy on the
Internet. Programs that protect the privacy of the worker will also
protect that of the company. A side benefit could be that the company
would be less accessible to hackers who have the potential to destroy a
company’s files.
-
Computer owners are also allies, since everyone
wants to be safe while using the computer. Cyberstalking is a recent
but serious phenomenon, and users are constantly purchasing expensive
programs that increase privacy and safety. More efficient programs
could be created to eliminate annoying pop-ups, viruses and harassing
emails.
-
Internet service providers also want to provide
safe services for consumers. The Internet industry benefits when
consumer confidence and trust is increased.
-
Computer vendors want to sell a safe product to
consumers.
-
If more policies and programs were geared toward
halting cyberstalking, more lawyers would be able to prosecute and
evidence would be easier to trace.
Political Allies
-
Politicians who want to eliminate crime are good
allies, especially those who are ministers where crime is concerned.
Female politicians would be uniquely helpful in that they have probably
experienced some form of violence or harassment at some point in their
lives, and could therefore personally identify with this issue.
-
MLAs and MPs can also be educated on this recent
phenomenon. Many people in the community are not aware of cyberstalking,
and MLAs would be more likely to take action if they knew of the
seriousness of this problem. Key political actors in Saskatchewan would
be surprised to know that Saskatoon has the most cases of stalking per
capita than any other city in Canada and would also be able to
understand how cyberstalking ties into the issue of violence against
women. Some government representatives have acknowledged cyberstalking
as an important issue, and believe the key to addressing it is through
empowerment. Internet users can be educated on how to protect
themselves and how to make complaints.
-
Perhaps a political focus group can be designated
to study the severity of this problem in Saskatchewan and in Canada.
-
Law enforcement is interested in protecting the
safety of Canadian citizens. It is frustrating for officers who cannot
make arrests or conduct investigations because the anonymity of Internet
stalkers is protected. Perhaps Canadian police services can create an
approach modeled after the FBI’s initiative: a website that promotes
Internet safety (
www.fbi.gov ).
-
School boards would also have an interest in ending
cyberstalking. Almost every school in Saskatchewan has computers and
access to the Internet for their students. Although controls are placed
on the content of emails and access to certain web pages, cyberstalkers
can still find ways to harass students and prey on the innocent.
Universities are not immune to cyberstalking and therefore university
administration and student groups would also be key actors.
Ideological Allies
-
Educators who want to use their skills to wipe out
cyberstalking through presentations and seminars.
-
Informal networks and websites have been effective
at providing information on the web to women who are in danger of being
stalked or who are currently being harassed. Examples of these
organizations/ websites are CYBERANGELS and WHOA (Women working to Halt
Online Abuse).
-
Any group who ties into this issue on a systemic
level can be involved. Examples of these are women’s groups who want to
stop abuse, ethnic minority groups who want to stop violence in their
culture, etc. The volunteer sector may be useful in this endeavor as
well as women’s groups. Systemically, cyberstalking is correlated to
violence against women, and many people and groups are therefore
involved.
-
Religious groups can be allies.
-
Victims affected by this form of violence are also
good supporters in the fight against cyberstalking. Unless policies and
programs are developed to fight this phenomenon, the number of victims
will only increase. Victim’s service groups can also join in the fight.
-
Parents want to protect their children from online
harassment. Parent groups and children’s groups can educate children on
Internet safety from an early age.
Who’s against us?
Even
though it has already been discussed that cyberstalking is a serious issue
that will increase, there are some actors/groups that are in opposition to
increasing Internet safety. These opponents, like the supporters, fall
into the economic, political and ideological realms.
Economic
Opponents
-
Capitalist companies that make money from pop-ups
and Internet sales do not want privacy laws to impede advertising
campaigns. For example, some companies make money by selling databases
of personal information to other companies for marketing purposes. The
information may include anything from mailing addresses to social
insurance numbers. Also, some companies tell users how to hack and read
private emails LEGALLY (!) by logging onto websites such as
www.SPY.net
-
Violence against women is a big business for the
entertainment industry. Many movies are plotted around domestic abuse
and may even include cyberstalking. Some examples of this are “Enough”
starring Jennifer Lopez and “Copycat” starring Sigourney Weaver. Even
though making these issues public raises awareness, the movie industry
will always be concerned only about the bottomline dollar.
-
Some companies make large capital by “finding”
people for loved ones. I recently received a pop-up that promised to
give me personal information about anyone for a mere seven-dollar fee.
-
Economically, those that lack expertise and
resources to pursue cyberstalking cases may be against us. For example,
we often hear the phrase “it’s not in the budget” in our own workplaces
and from politicians.
-
Companies that market anti-virus programs would
also be against us. Their money is made through the marketing of
programs that protect users from pop-ups, viruses and some forms of
harassment (For example, Norton Antivirus). These programs play upon
our fears and scare us into buying their programs.
Ideological
Opponents
-
Stalkers and invasive Internet perpetrators are
definitely against us. Many of these criminals can gain access to
information with a few mouse clicks. Hackers or anyone doing intrusive
acts on the Internet would also be against privacy programs and
policies.
-
Individuals and groups who don’t think
cyberstalking is a problem may be more committed to raising awareness
for other programs.
-
Chat room users want to maintain anonymity, but
often for safety reasons. Privacy policies may deter people from
finding the freedom to find relationships and communication over the
Internet.
-
WHOA has noted that 32% of victims who contacted
them had gone first to law enforcement and received no response. Some
members of law enforcement do not take complaints seriously.
-
Anyone wanting to oppress minorities would be
against us as well.
The
following is an explanation of those who are not committed to eradicating
cyberstalking:
-
Individuals/ groups who lack awareness and
information and do not know the extent of the problem
-
Ignorant individuals/ groups who think the internet
is safe or “cyberstalking only happens in the United States”
-
Individuals/ groups who still believe the
traditional view that women are still the possessions of men and should
be owned by a patriarchal society.
-
Government policy-makers who are constrained by
budgets or who do not think women’s issues are important.
-
Lax law enforcement officers that do not consider
stalking to be a serious phenomenon.
-
Women who do not report cyberstalking because they
are either fearful or do not believe their threats will be taken
seriously.
-
People that do not understand the cyclical nature
of cyberstalking crossing over to physical stalking, and vice versa.
-
Internet service providers have vague policies and
notions of what constitutes a violation of service agreements; have
hard-to-locate complaint procedures and follow-up inadequately.
-
Individuals/ groups who believe only computer
owners can be cyberstalked. Shelley’s case studies have pointed out
many of the false assumptions associated with cyberstalking.
Knowledge is power. Our group believes we need more information on the
following actors to enable us to eradicate this phenomenon:
-
Sympathetic/ feminist policy-makers
-
Female politicians
-
Key advocates in the community (there is a
potential to form linkages with leaders of other groups or advocates of
related issues).
-
Perpetrator profiles (for example, common
psychological traits, gender, occurrence of psychosis)
-
The justice system- how it works, key actors, what
it takes to change laws, who can be influenced to make policy changes
-
Actors that compile national surveys on Internet
use.
Cyberstalking will continue to be a problem and will be on the increase in
the future unless something is done to halt its activity. After
determining the involvement of people who are with us and against us, we
have concluded that the opponents are winning. It is with ease that
cyberstalkers can maintain their anonymity. Trudy M. Gregorie (2003)
explains the challenge for prosecutors and law enforcement, stating, “the
lack of state-of-the-art technology and adequately trained, experienced
workforce are two of the greatest challenges…” It will take much advocacy
work to raise awareness, provide education and change laws and policies
regarding this issue. It will also be a long time before larger systemic
issues and attitudes are changed regarding violence against women. In an
era where public funding is decreasing and societal problems seem to be on
the increase, it will be a struggle to secure funding for an issue that no
one seems to know anything about. However, as computer ownership and
Internet use increases, cyberstalking will become a problem that society
will not be able to ignore. Tracy Bahm (2003) believes that “the bottom
line is that we have enough research and practical experience to know that
stalking is not a minor crime. It is frightening and dangerous, and we
have to work harder to ensure that our responses to stalking reflect that
understanding”.
Prevention and Intervention:
Stay Safe Online:
1.
Always select a gender-neutral username. (Are you identifiable by looking
at your e-mail address?) Since the majority of online victims are
female, this is what harassers look for.
2.
Keep your primary e-mail account private. Use it ONLY for messages to and
from people you know and trust.
3. Get
a free e-mail account (ex. Yahoo or Hotmail) use that for all your on-line
activity. Have a totally different username from your private account.
4.
Don’t fill our profiles! When signing up for ISP or your free account,
only fill in what is absolutely necessary to get your account opened.
Profile information should not include your age, sex, address, phone
number, school, or where you work.
5. Do
block all users except for those on your buddy list or add unwanted
usernames to an Ignore list. When you are in a chat room or using MSN
(Instant message) these options are available to you.
6. Do
use filtering to keep unwanted e-mail messages from coming to your
e-mailbox.
Filters will automatically delete spam as it comes in. Information about
Filters can be found on the web. Filter programs range from free to
$100.00 available either by downloading them or purchasing them at a
computer store.
Internet Spies (most commonly known as Trojans) are unknown parties that
gain control of your computer from another location. They have been known
to obtain passwords, credit cards and bank information as well as
controlling webcams. Make sure your system has an antitrojan program that
will block trojans and their illegal activity.
7.
Don’t say anything online that you wouldn’t say in person. Netiquette is
online etiquette. Most ISP’s have rules for how to behave online. These
rules will help you avoid unnecessary arguments or ‘flame wars’.
If
you are being cyberstalked:
8.
Don’t fight back. If you are being harassed online, you will only escalate
the situation. That is what the harasser wants - a reaction from you. If
harassment escalates do the following:
a)
Contact the harasser and politely ask him/her to leave you alone.
b)
Contact your ISP to forward the harassing messages.
Most
ISP will not hesitate to cancel the account of anyone using their ISP to
send abusive mail and will co-operate with other ISPs to prevent future
occurrences.
c) If
the harassment escalates, contact your local police.
d)
Contact a victims group, such as WHOA,
www.haltabuse.org, CyberAngels -
www.cyberangels.org. These are all free, voluntary services that will analyze your unwanted
e-mail to determine its point of origin. They have ways of finding your
harasser and will generate a report for your ISP and the appropriate law
enforcement agency.
e) If
a community or system based victim service provider cannot offer suitable
advice and assistance, they should still be able to make referrals to
organizations that can help. If they are not able to do so please call the
National Center for Victims of Crime at
1-800-FYI-CALL.
9. Do
document and keep all records of the harassment, your contact with police
and your ISP. Save all e-mail, phonecall logs, written communication and
chat room records.
10.
Maintain an Incident/Behaviour Log of all stalking related behaviour.
11.
Write down the officer’s name and badge number for your own records. Ask
the officer to make a written report (if no arrest is made) and request a
copy for your records.
12 Do
not include any information that you do not want the offender to see (as
it could be shared inadvertently with the stalker later when it is
introduced as evidence)
13.
Keep all information relevant to your case in a safe place. Then tell only
someone you trust where you keep it.
14.
Immediately change your e-mail address and possibly your ISP, home phone
number and install privacy protection programs.
15.
Contact all online directory listings such as:
www.four11.com,
www.switchboard.com,
www.whowhere.com to request removal from their directory.
16. To
help cope with the trauma of being cyberstalked, victims should seek
support from friends, family and victim service professionals. Don’t keep
it a secret. Most victims can feel that they are somehow responsible for
being a victim. Silence empowers your stalker, not you! (WiredPatrol,
Retrieved 2003)
Dating Online
Dating
Online is becoming popular with people of all ages, as they log on
in hopes of meeting their life partner to just finding friendship or a
date. There is a multitude of online dating websites. We were interested
if any safety guidelines were offered to the customers of these services.
If you enter a online dating webpage, be prepared for pop-ups of more
dating online services as well as more suggestive and risqué
advertisements.
Out of
the three sites we visited (without registering) one had specific safety
tips for their customers, one sight couldn’t be reviewed without signing
up for any information, and the last one, on Yahoo, gave a list of do’s
and don’ts. For example: if you are married don’t sign up; don’t sign
another person other than yourself up; don’t give out personal info, no
nudity, vulgar language etc.
“Lavalife” was the company that offered the following safety tips for
would be registrants:
-
Be
sure to assume an anonymous handle, i.e., member ID or user name, so
that your privacy is assured. Never sign up with an online personals
company that doesn’t provide anonymous e-mail services!
-
Use
an e-mail address or cell phone number as an initial means of contact.
Do not give out your home phone number.
-
If
you are planning on meeting someone, tell at least two people where you
are going, the person’s name, their general description, and you
expected time home.
-
Always meet someone in a neutral location. Never have them come to your
home or place of work to pick you up.
-
Always meet someone in a public place, such as a restaurant, or a movie
theatre.
-
Always be aware of the personal information you are revealing to a date.
-
Use
common sense. If you get a bad “vibe” maybe it is time to end the date.
WiredPatrol is a cyber-neighbourhood
watch. They are the largest online safety,education, and help group in the
world. With more than 9,000 volunteers worldwide, they help online victims
of cybercrime and harassment. They assist and train law enforcement
worldwide on preventing and investigating cybercrimes. WiredPatrol Canada
is the Canadian unit. A woman, an international cyberspace privacy and
security lawyer, heads up WiredPatrol (the new name for Cyberangels.) For
an empowering story please refer to the Appendix.
Interventions
Despite the opposition and ignorance that we will encounter, our group
felt that this is not an issue that should remain stagnant until it
becomes a large problem. Rather, we felt a proactive approach would be
more beneficial where cyberstalking is concerned. The following are
proactive approaches we can take to end this societal problem and/or
groups we can link ourselves to:
- As MSW’s and PhD’s we could conduct studies and
write journal articles about cyberstalking
- Provide feedback to books that ask for customer
comments or write publishing companies that publish books about Internet
use or violence against women.
- Create and distribute information packages
(including brochures).
- Create an awareness of this issue in computer
stores. Offer to hang posters and create a free information sheet that
vendors can distribute with the sale of a PC.
- Police can be trained on how to combat this
form of stalking and be educated on the handling of complaints and
filing of reports.
- Develop evening/ day programs for victims and
those concerned about violence against women (both physical and cyber).
Also, these programs should be free of charge to make them available to
everyone.
- Lobby for laws against legal hacking programs
and those that allow cyberstalkers to send untraceable emails.
- Develop a local Website with listings of local
resources and prevention tips.
- Create videos about cyberstalking that include
survivors of this nature and distribute them to public agencies such as
libraries and agencies.
- Lobby for more funding for volunteer
organizations that help victims of cyberstalking (ex- WiredPatrol)
- Parenting groups can be educated on how to
limit the exposure of their children to questionable content
- Internet introductory classes can address
cyberstalking as part of their course material
- Internet service providers should have privacy
warnings as people “log on” or sign up for an email account
- Cyberstalking can be incorporated into violence
seminars
- We can lobby policy-makers and politicians for
tougher stalking laws
- Hang posters on bulletin boards in larger
stores such as STAPLES and OFFICE DEPOT
- Encourage internet dating services to post
privacy and safety recommendations and to require acknowledgment of
these recommendations before they use the service
- Connect with feminist scholars and professors
that deal with violence against women to incorporate cyberstalking into
the curriculum.
- Education. If by doing
presentations, people learn about cyberstalking and there is a raising
of consciousness then the presentation has been a successful
intervention. This presentation – in a modified form – will be
presented at the Direct Service Providers Conference to 58 professionals
on June 6, 2003.
- This presentation should be
made in the schools. Either to a grouping of computer teachers who
could then include this information within their curriculum to help
ensure safety of their students or during assembly-style presentations
- Computer stores should have
brochures and handouts for customers regarding safety online.
- There should be a grassroots
movement, perhaps an email petition to get the large computer
corporations (eg. IBM, Dell) to include safety information in their
packaging.
- The attached brochure, which
provides information to minimize the risk of being cyberstalked, is an
educational intervention.
Bibliography
Bahm,
Tracy (2003). Why Focus on Stalking? Newsletter of the Stalking Resource
Center Vol. 2 No. 1 Winter 2003 pp. 1-12 Washington: The National Center
for Victims of Crime.
www.ncvc.org/src
Canadian Panel on Violence against Women (1993). “Looking through a
feminist lens.” Open boundaries: A Canadian women’s studies reader eds. B.
Crow & L. Gotell Toronto: Prentice Hall Allyn and Bacon Canada.
Court
T.V's Crime Library. (n.d.). Cyberstalking: Obsessional Pursuit and the
Digital Criminal.
www.crimelibrary.com/criminal_mind/psychology/cyberstalking/5.html?sect=19
Department of Justice Canada (n.d.). The Canadian Criminal Code.
www.wwlia.org/
http://canada.justice.gc.ca/en/dept/pub/hpcp/part1.html
http://canada.justice.gc.ca/en/dept/pub/hpcp/part3.html
Drakich, J. & C. Guberman (1988). “Violence in the Family.” Family
matters; Sociology and contemporary Canadian families. Scarborough:
Nelson Canada.
Duhaine, Lloyd. (1996). Canada's Criminal Law: Stalking.
Hitchcock, J.A., (2000). Cyberstalking Don't be a victim; follow these
tips. Link Up. Volume 17(4). Pp. 22-23.
Hatcher, Colin, Gabriel. (2000). Cyberstalking and Electronic Harassment.
www.safetyed.org/help/stalking/cyberstalking.html
L.A
Times, Friday the 22nd of January, 1999 and Saturday the 23rd of January,
1999.
Lavalife,.(n.d.) Online Dating Tips.
www.lavalife.com Bibliography 2
Mullen, Paul E., Pathe, Michele, Purcell Rosemary. (2000). Stalkers and
their victims. Cambridge University Press.
NetScams.(2001) Ways To Protect Yourself from Trojans.
http://www.netscams.com/personsafeldentity.jsp-25k-20mar.2003 Reader’s
Digest. (October 2002). Angels Online – On Patrol.
Stalking Behaviour. (n.d.) Definitions, Resources & Links.
www.stalkingbehavior.com/interventions.htm
The
National Center for Victims of Crime. (n.d). Stalking Resource Center.
www.ncvc.org/src
The
Daily Statistics Canada. (2000). Criminal Harassment.
www.statscan.ca/Daily/English/001129/d001129c.htm
U.S.
Department of Justice. (1999) Cyberstalking Study. Wallace Harvey. (1999).
Family Violence Legal, Medical, and Social Perspectives. Allyn and Bacon.
|
