Cyberstalking

The Internet has helped link giant gaps in communication, helped businesses expand, and helped people to be informed. The Internet does have some negative effects as well, which include children having easier access to porn, illegal online gambling, and cyberstalking.
"The Internet has turned reputation on its head. What was once private is now public. What was once local is now global. What was once fleeting is now permanent. And what was once trustworthy is now unreliable" (Lipton 2011, 1107)

Cyberstalking is the new way in society that people are becoming anonymous and committing crimes. Instead of somebody being physically pursued, like stalking, in cyberstalking a person is pursued online. A woman is most likely to be a victim of cyberstalking by a man, while a child is normally a victim of cyberstalking done by adult predators or pedophiles (Reyns 2012, 3).
Cyberstalking was defined differently according to the following authors. Strawhun defined cyberstalking as “repeated threats or harassment through electronic mail or other computer-based communication that make a reasonable person fear for his or her safety” (Strawhun 2013, 2). Reyns defined cyberstalking as “the repeated pursuit of an individual using electronic or Internet-capable devices” (Reyns 2012, 1). He also included in his definition that these “repeated pursuit behaviors include persistent and unwanted electronic communications that can contain messages laced with coercive or intimidating wording or sexual overtones” (Reyns 2012, 1). All of these repeated pursuits are normally through e-mails, text messages, instant messaging, or through a blog.
Skimizu defined cyberstalking similarly like Reyns but included, “sending threatening or obscene e-mail, spamming, harassing in chat rooms, tracing another person’s computer and internet activity, and posting harassing message on social media” (Shimizu 2013, 117). The dictionary definition of cyberstalking is the “practice of using digital forms of communication to harass a person in an aggressive, often threatening manner” (Dictionary.com 2015). All of the definitions that the authors provided for cyberstalking is consistent with the actual definition of cyberstalking, but will continue to broaden as technology changes.
Stalking and Cyberstalking are by all means different, even though they are both terrifying crimes. “Stalking requires the perpetrator and the victim to be in the same area, while a cyberstalker can reach his victim from anywhere in the country or world regardless of geographic boundaries” (Shimizu 2013, 118). “A significant number of individuals in the U.S are victims of stalking and cyberstalking at some point in their lives” (Reyns 2012, 2). Reyns study conducted that “Cyberstalking victimization ranges between 1% and 31.5%, while stalking victimizations estimates between 2% to 13% for males and 8% to 32% for females”. In his study he also mentioned that 40% of his participants told the perpetrator to stop even after there was already told before several times (Reyns 2012, 12). His overall study recorded that “college students are at a risk of being a victim of cyberstalking” (Reyns 2012, 19).
Strawhun also conducted a study with 248 undergraduate students. Her study was to see if a student had been a victim or perpetrator of cyberstalking at some point in their life. Her results consisted of 20.5% of participants being victims and 26.5% of participants admitting that they were the perpetrator (Strawhun 2013, 6). Cyberstalking has both a perpetrator and a victim. The perpetrator of cyberstalking is referred to as the cyberstalker. The cyberstalker can send harassing e-mails and threatening messages through social media or other websites on the Internet. The perpetrator also relies on the Internet as a way of being anonymous to stalk, harm, and offend their victims. The cyberstalker can continue to contact their victim after being told to stop, continue to harass a victim, make unwanted sexual advances toward their victim, and threaten their victim with violence (Reyns 2012, 11). For example, the perpetrator can simply be an ex partner to its victim. The perpetrator can begin by sending intimidating messages through Facebook, or other source of social media, and that intimidating message, makes the victim fear (Lyndon 2011, 712). Another example consists of two girls named Jessica, the victim, and Jessica, the perpetrator (Knight 2014, 392). Megan first started off stalking Jessica, which included showing up to her household, calling her cellphone, and sending her text messages (Knight 2014, 393). That all changed very quickly when Megan, the perpetrator, started sending her intimidating Facebook messages, which made Jessica delete all the social media websites she currently had (Knight 2014, 393). The technology for perpetrators to improve the way they cyberstalk is only increasing in time. The reason is because technology continues to change everyday. Electronic methods such as social networking and global positioning systems (GPS) have given perpetrators easier access to cyberstalk (Knight 2015, 402). These types of electronic methods have given the perpetrator the ability to act however they desire without a social constraints. There are several motivations for the cyberstalker to commit the crime of cyberstalking. One motive could be that an ex partner or an individual wants revenge. For example if at one point the individual did something wrong to the perpetrator the perpetrator would find a way for revenge by harassing them online (Citron 2014, 63). Another motive could be that the perpetrator wants to frighten the victim. The perpetrator could feel it as a desire to make the victim feel terrified. The next motivation is simple, which is obsession. The victim could have been stalked in person and received a retraining order on its perpetrator, so the perpetrator took it to cyberspace (Reyns 2012, 14). One investigator found that angry and jealous reactions following a breakup were the catalysts of cyberstalking behaviors and anxious attachment was a significant predictor of psychological abuse (Strawhun, 2013, 3).
The victim is the person receiving unwanted attempts of communication, harassment, and threats of physical harm (Reyns 2012, 10). The victim can have a camera hidden in their household that monitors their Internet history and emails. There has been in increase of cases in which perpetrators hack into the victims computer or laptop (Knight 2014, 402). “Hacking into computers for personally identifiable information, photos, and other data is an increasing threat for victims of cyberstalking” (Knight 2014, 402). The perpetrator is at times someone the victim had currently knew in the past. For example an ex of the victim could have nude pictures of the victim and post them on the Internet. This not only helps the perpetrator harass the victim, but other people that see these nude images can now harass the victim as well (Knight 2014, 403). Victims at times can be blamed for the abuse that is going on online. For instance in the example provided the victim had given her ex nude pictures of herself. These victims can be blamed for giving or sharing nude images to with loved ones (Citron 2014, 19).
Cyberstalking makes several impacts to a victim’s life. Most victims fear as to whether the cyberstalking will stop or whether the cyberstalking will turn into physical aggression, sexual assault, or death” (Knight 2014, 404). “According to Citron’s reading she mentioned that once someone is a victim of cyberstalking, they feel like they are on their Facebook, e-mails, and on a social media website that they have” (Citron 2014, 10). Some victims struggle with anxiety and some even suffer with panic attacks. This causes the victim to seek medical attention or psychiatric help (Citron 2014, 11). Victims at times can feel helpless from cyberstalking. Citron mentioned in her reading that at times there is nothing someone can do about the harassing behavior or threatening messages that they are receiving online (Citron 2014, 19). A victim of cyberstalking is more likely to have some type of immediate or long-term emotional or physical harm, throughout their life (Lipton 2011, 1111).
Cyberstalking occurs because the “Internet has created a new and more favorable environment for stalkers” (Shimizu 2013, 117). Cyberstalking is an easy way for perpetrators to stalk. For instance, it has provided a low-cost method of communication for the perpetrator to not have to be in the same place as its victim (Shimizu 2013, 118). It has simply let people become anonymous in harassing their victims. “Even when a victim is able to physically escape her abuser, he can nonetheless maintain, control, and continue to harass and threaten her for a distance without an precaution” (Shimizu 2013, 118).
The Internet is quickly becoming a daily use in most American’s lives and this is why state governments have begun extending their laws into cyberspace (Shimizu 2013, 119). There are some ways that a victim can help protect them selves if they know who the perpetrator is. Victims are now able to prosecute their cyberstalker and obtain a civil protection order against them. Civil Protection Orders gives the victim the satisfactory from the “abuser engaging in abusive or harassing conduct” (Shimizu 2013, 121). Some victims are unable to receive Civil Protection Orders because of the states that have not obtained cyberstalking regulations (Shimizu 2013, 121).
There are some states that do not have any laws for cyberstalking and then there is some that are changing their laws to incorporate cyberstalking with stalking (Shimizu 2013, 120). Some states require a physical pursuit or do not reference electronic communication, so they are considered to not have any cyberstalking law (Shimizu 2013, 120). Well on the other hand, in “some jurisdictions, cyber-stalking legislation requires a credible threat to the victim for there to be a violation of law” (Lipton 2011, 1111). “The states that have been able to recognize that stalking no longer occurs in real space, but by the use of the Internet, have amended traditional stalking statues to include electronic communication” (Shimizu 2013, 120).
There are only three states in America that are able to cover every issue in their laws for cyberstalking (Shimizu 2013, 123). When a victim prosecutes their perpetrator, the court is trying to make it clear to the abuser that cyberstalking is a serious crime with serious consequences (Shimizu 2013, 123). “For instance, in Washington, cyberstalking is now a felony if the victim has a civil protection order against their perpetrator” (Shimizu 2013, 123).
In conclusion, even though cyberstalking is not yet receiving much attention or research, it is still a big concern for victims. “Cyberstalking not only has provided more rapid methods of choosing and identifying victims but it has also created more subtle ways of constantly terrorizing individuals of all ages, races, genders, faiths, and sexual orientation” (Strawhun 2013, 2). Cyberspace has opened the doors to individuals to intrude on other’s privacy instantly and from any location without their knowledge or consent (Strawhun 2013, 3). Victims are known to feel frightened or threatened when they are victims of cyberstalking. The types of ways in which a perpetrator can make a victim feel threatened is sending them numerous messages, emails, and blowing up their social media. Another way a cyberstalker can invade a victim’s privacy is by causing virus infections in their laptops or computers (Strawhun 2013, 3). The main problem is that social media and what is posted on the Internet can only be controlled to a certain extent (Mills 2015, 99).

REFERENCES:
Citron, Danielle K. Hate Crimes in Cyberspace. First Printing, 2014. 2-92. Print.
"Cyberstalking". Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cyberstalking>.
Knight, Melissa A. "Stalking and Cyberstalking in the United States and Rural South Dakota: Twenty- Four Years after the First Legislation." Academic Journal 59.2 (2014): 392-429.
Lyndon, Amy, Jennifer Bonds-Raacke, and Alyssa D. Cratty. "College Students' Facebook Stalking Of Ex-Partners." Cyberpsychology, Behavior & Social Networking 14.12 (2011): 711-716. Academic Search Premier
McQuade, Samuel C., James P. Colt, and Nancy B. Meyer. Cyber Bullying. Westport: Praeger Publishers, 2009. 9-42. Print.
Mills, Jon L. Privacy in the New Media Age. Gainesville: The University Press of Florida, 2015. 7-102. Print.
Reyns, B. W., Henson, B., & Fisher, B. S. (2012). “Stalking in the Twilight Zone: Extent of Cyberstalking Victimization and Offending Among College Students”. Deviant Behavior, 33(1), 1-25.
Shimizu, A. (2013). “Domestic Violence in the Digital Age: Towards the Creation of a
Comprehensive Cyberstalking Statute”. Berkeley Journal Of Gender, Law &
Justice, 28(1), 116-137.
Strawhun, J., Adams, N. & Huss, M. T. (2013). “The assessment of cyberstalking: An expanded examination including social networking, attachment, jealousy, and anger in relation to violence and abuse”. Violence and Victims, 28, 715-730.
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