Cyberstalking poses a threat to anyone using the internet, with potentially severe consequences for victims. Stalkers frequently issue serious threats and intrude persistently into their victims’ lives, often necessitating significant changes in daily routines.
Defining Cyberstalking
The Protection Against Stalking charity defines stalking as a repeated, persistent, and intrusive pattern of fixated and obsessive behavior that induces fear of violence or causes alarm and distress in the victim. It mirrors traditional stalking by tracking locations, monitoring online activities, and using spyware. Cyberstalkers may install GPS on victims’ vehicles, spy via geolocation software, and obsessively monitor through social media. They intimidate by trolling, sending threats, hacking emails to contact victims’ connections, and spreading rumors. This can include fake photos, private threats, identity theft, and creating false online profiles. Cyberstalking aims to make victims’ lives unbearable and is a serious digital-age issue, affecting victims’ safety and well-being significantly.
Impact of cyberstalking
Victims of cyberstalking suffer long-lasting consequences that extend beyond closing their browsers or powering down their phones. These effects span psychological and physical realms and may lead to:
- Fear
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Isolation
If a cyberstalker pretends to be their victim or spreads humiliating content like private photos or videos, it can damage the victim’s relationships with loved ones. This may hinder their ability to maintain or secure employment or enjoy a satisfying public life.
Upon apprehension and conviction, cyberstalkers may be fined up to $250,000 and sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison. In certain states, they may also forfeit their right to possess firearms.
How to help protect yourself against cyberstalking?
Avoiding cyberstalking requires being proactive to ensure your data doesn’t end up with malicious individuals. Protect yourself and your loved ones from online stalkers by following these essential tips by a security expert to safeguard your privacy on the internet:
Avoid Cyberstalking With a Password Manager
A password manager is a crucial tool for personal cybersecurity, securely storing passwords and sensitive information accessible only via a master password. It helps protect against cyberstalking by ensuring strong, unique passwords for each account and device. These passwords, typically 16 characters with a mix of upper/lower case letters, numbers, and symbols, thwart unauthorized access and malware like keyloggers.
Additionally, password managers simplify usage by automatically generating and securely storing passwords, enabling effortless login with autofill. They extend beyond passwords, securely storing and sharing confidential records to safeguard against threats of exposure from cyberstalkers who exploit hacked devices or accounts.
Moreover, password managers facilitate secure file sharing while allowing users to revoke access instantly, which is crucial for situations involving known cyberstalkers. By managing permissions effectively, they enhance personal security, ensuring sensitive information remains protected from unauthorized access and potential cyber threats.
Enhance your privacy settings
Review your social media accounts and enable robust privacy settings if you haven’t yet.
- Set your posts to ‘friends only’ so only known people can view them.
- Avoid letting social networks display your address or phone number publicly. (Consider using a separate email for social media)
- When sharing your phone number or private info with a friend, use private messages, not public posts.
- Opt for a gender-neutral screen name or pseudonym instead of your real name on social media.
- Leave optional profile fields, like your date of birth, blank.
- Accept friend requests only from people you’ve met in person, and set networks to accept requests only from friends of friends.
- Turn off geolocation settings and consider disabling GPS on your phone.
Remove any personal data from the web outside your social media accounts. If your SSN is displayed, Google can help remove it. You might need to contact third-party websites to get data taken down. For a business or web domain address, use a PO box or office address, not your home.
Employ a VPN for interactions with unfamiliar online contacts
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) encrypts your internet activity. Though not perfect, VPNs can mask your actual location from online users. Engaging with others on servers, like in online gaming, can expose you to cyberstalking.
A VPN can aid in preventing cyber crimes like doxxing and cyberstalking, common in online gaming communities.
Prevent unwanted users from contacting you
Rude or aggressive users and harassers can escalate their behavior into cyberstalking. If someone behaves inappropriately toward you online, block them immediately to limit their access to your information.
Blocking won’t stop a determined cyberstalker from finding other ways to harass you, but it limits their ability to view your information, reducing potential harm. Restricting access to your accounts can also help calm the situation. If you suspect a user has created new accounts to harass you, block those accounts as well and report the user, as most websites have policies against such behavior.
