Dealing With Online Harassment & Bullying
There are many forms of online harassment, and many names used to describe these types of harassment, including cyber bullying, trolling, flaming, doxing, outing and fraping. Regardless of the approach, the perpetrators use personal information, abusive messaging or bullying behaviour to cause you emotional distress. Social media is typically the platform of choice for perpetrators and they tend to hide behind fake profiles â or hacked profiles â to target victims.
If you you dont feel safe and the harassment has been persistent then you may be a victim of cyber stalking. Check out our guide here. If fake social media accounts are being used you may want to review our guide on this here.
We want to better understand the impact of you experiencing this issue, can you share your experience by filling in this online form? This will help us better protect future victims.
Donât Miss: Can I Access Police Reports
Other Steps You Can Take To Curb Online Harassment
Fortunately, in most cases online harassment is not likely to lead to actual violence. Most of the time the person or people engaging in harassment are bullies looking for a response. In this kind of a case your best response is no response.
Online Harassment & Bullying
There are some important steps to take right at the beginning of the harassment:
Document everything – Keep a copy of all instances of online harassment – either take a screenshot or print the pages. Try to get the messages as well as the profile pages the abuse is coming from. This will be useful evidence for the police or social media platforms if the harassment escalates. It also ensures you have a copy if the perpetrator deletes their posts and profile.
Report it to the police – The police take online harassment reports seriously and they have lots of experience investigating them. Report the abuse early to the police either directly or through a report service such as www.report-it.org.uk. If you feel there is any immediate threat to your personal safety dial 999.
Focus on your online security – As the perpetrator collects more and more information about you it is common that they may try and gain access to your accounts such as social media and email. Having strong passwords and turning on two-factor authentication is key, but there is lots of good advice at Get Safe Online. It is also worth reviewing what personal information exists about you online and trying to remove as much as possible. For example Google yourself and see if you can find your address, phone number or places where you regularly spend time.
Read Also: How To File A Police Report Chicago
You Cannot File A Report Online If
- A threat was made or violence was used during the incident. If you are in immediate danger, please dial 911. If you are no longer in danger, please call us at 613-236-1222, extension 7300.
- Evidence was left on the scene such as, but not limited to blood, tools, clothes or any item related to the incident. Please call 613-236-1222, extension 7300 to file a report.
- The incident being reported did not happen in Ottawa. Please contact the police service in the city where the incident happened to file a report.
- The stolen property is a passport
- The property lost is a cell phone, licence plate, bank card or government issued identification, with or without a serial number. Please contact your service provider to get a replacement.
You May Like: How To Report Someone To The Police Anonymously
Harassment And The Reasonable Person Standard
Harassment cannot be defined by the eye of the beholder. Not all offensive or annoying behavior can be criminalized, and the standard does not adjust to the special sensitivity of a victim.
This requirement of objectivity, sometimes called the reasonable person standard, is typically spelled out explicitly in statute by requiring the fear created by harassing behavior to be a reasonable fear. Evaluation of reasonableness is highly case-specific and will rely on the totality of the circumstances. For this reason, creepy behavior that is not plainly threatening can be difficult to prosecute as a crime.
Read Also: How To Become A Detective In The Police Force
Check If What Happened Is Harassment Under The Equality Act
The harassment you experienced was discrimination under the Equality Act if both the following apply:
- you didnt want it to happen
- you were scared, humiliated or offended – or the person was trying to make you feel that way
Harassment can include things like verbal abuse, bullying, jokes, making faces and posting comments about you on social media. It also includes sexual harassment.
Sexual harassment can include things like commenting on your clothes or appearance, sending you messages with sexual content or making sexual comments – even if theyre not about you. For example, its sexual harassment if you find out your colleagues are sharing offensive sexual jokes in a WhatsApp group.
Its also harassment if someone treats you worse because of your reaction to:
- sexual harassment
- sexist or transphobic harassment
Example
Cara’s landlord tries to flirt with her and kiss her, which makes her feel very uncomfortable and embarrassed. This is harassment.
Afterwards, her landlord stops doing repairs on her house. This is also harassment. It’s harassment whether Cara told her landlord to stop or let him kiss her.
What Do You Need To Go To Court
In addition to keeping detailed records and screenshots of the harassment, youll likely need to work with a team that understands the regulations and laws requiring submitting content from social media as evidence in court as established by FRE 902. Suppose your abusers true identity is still unknown. In that case, you will need to determine exactly who it is you are suing using a service designed to uncover the people behind social media accounts. At Bosco, our cyber investigators use advanced search tools and analysis to locate the critical metadata, times & dates, and other data that the court requires to pursue a lawsuit. Learn more about social media investigations here.
You May Like: Can You File An Identity Theft Police Report Online
Report The Person Who Is Harassing You
If someone you know is constantly harassing you online, you need to report it to the authorities. If the person is disguising their identity, you should still report it to authorities and also reach out to cyber harassment specialists who can help reveal your harassers identity.
Victims should also seek out help from an attorney. They can help guide victims through the legal options they have to bring their harasser to justice.
Key Federal Criminal Laws
At the federal level, there are laws specifically focused on cyber crimes, including cyberstalking, interstate cyber threats and extortion, harassing or threatening a person via a telecommunications device, computer hacking, and identity theft. All of these are outlined in the table below.
Furthermore, some federal laws focused on stalking and harassment more broadly have been amended to include language addressing the use of electronic forms of communication . The federal stalking statute, for example, has been amended to include the use of any interactive computer service or electronic communication service . . . to engage in a course of conduct that . . . causes, attempts to cause, or would be reasonably expected to cause substantial emotional distress to the targeted person or persons.
| Law Code |
|
Also Check: Can Police Take Your Car For No Insurance
What Will The Police Do About Online Harassment
In general, the police will be most able to assist you if:
- The perpetrator has published sexual images of you without your consent.
- You have received true threats or specific threats of violence that name a time, day, or location.
- You know the perpetrator and would like to seek a restraining order.
- The perpetrator has violated state or federal stalking laws.
Choosing to go to the police can be a difficult or intimidating decision for many people. Not everyone will feel comfortable involving law enforcement, and not all police precincts will have experience investigating and prosecuting cybercrimes. Ultimately, it is your decision whether or not you feel safe filing a report with the police. If you do choose to report online harassment as a crime, be prepared to be asked to provide evidence and describe your experience to officers or detectives. Our experience across the United States has shown that it is rare for law enforcement to get involved or provide meaningful help when online harassment occurs.
What Counts As Harassment
The legal definitions of harassment vary significantly across the country. The states understanding of harassment, menacing, and stalking is a mixed bag, so you should first check the statutes on these issues in your jurisdiction.
In most states, harassment charges are typically a misdemeanor, unless there are some aggravating circumstances that will elevate the charge. For instance, if youre being harassed based on your race, this will likely be treated as racial discrimination.
The fact that harassment is frequently classified as a misdemeanor doesnt mean it isnt serious. It is, and you should treat it as such.
To file a claim against your harasser, you will need to:
If the harassment communication occurs continuously, regardless if its online or in-person, this could also count as stalking. If you think you may be the victim of a stalker, find out more about how to stop a stalker.
Obscene or harassing phone calls may be reported via the Telephone Report Automation Center by calling 277-8900.
Or you may file a report online. Reports can also be filed in person at the San Jose Police Departments Information Center.
Definition: Unwanted phone calls of an annoying, harassing or threatening nature.
You May Like: Where Do I Get My Police Report Copy At
Increase Your Personal Cybersecurity
Stop perpetrators from gaining any access to your private information by upping your cybersecurity measures. Change your passwords to strong, un-crackable keys that include randomized numbers, letters, and symbols, and dont ever use the same password for multiple sites. We recommend checking out different password managers to make this as easy as possible. Additionally, enable two-factor authentication when appropriate and keep personal & professional online accounts separate.
Report Threats And Crime
General Public
Members of the public can report violations of U.S. federal law or suspected terrorism or criminal activity as follows:
Contact us online
- Use our Online Tips and Public Leads form to report information on criminal activity and suspected terrorist threats
- Report cyber crimes by filing a complaint with our Internet Crime Complaint Center
Contact us via telephone or mail
- Contact your local FBI office or closest international office24 hours a day, seven days a week.
You May Like: Are Police Officers Names Public Record
Dont Engage In Harassment
Its a natural human instinct to defend oneself when being attacked. But in the realm of the internet, firing back at an abuser is like adding oxygen to a wildfire. By engaging with their insults or threats, you are giving them exactly what they want. Therefore, whenever possible, its best to stay silent and not risk escalating a situation.
Women And Workplace Sexual Harassment
The numbers on sexual harassment are staggering, as shown by a 2018 study on sexual harassment and assault by a nonprofit called Stop Street Harassment. It found that 81% of women and 43% of men had experienced some form of sexual harassment during their lifetime. This type of harassment most commonly occurs at work.
The tech industry in the U.S. is especially notorious for the workplace and sexual harassment. Susan Ho, entrepreneur and founder of the travel startup Journy, spoke to CNN about the challenges of being a female entrepreneur in the American tech industry. Silicon Valley is particularly infamous for its skewed power dynamics, where capital and the positions of power are largely controlled by men.
When female founders are pitching their business ideas to men, its not uncommon to hold the meetings in informal locations like restaurants or coffee shops, frequently after working hours, explained Ho. This type of setting can blur the lines of what is appropriate and what isnt, putting the woman in a more vulnerable, disempowered position, often leading to instances of workplace sexual harassment.
Entrepreneur and founder of a mental health startup, Bea Arthur, shared similar views and experiences for the CNN piece. She noted: If looks at another man, he sees them as an opportunity, a colleague, a peer, a mentor. But if youre a female founder, he just sees you as a woman first.
Read Also: What Does A Police Background Check Consist Of
Read Also: Can Police Track A Prepaid Phone
Federal Laws & Online Harassment
At the federal level, there are laws that address online abuse, including stalking, interstate threats, harassment via telecommunications, hacking, and identity theft.
Federal laws apply to cyber crimes committed across state lines or using a channel of interstate communication . The principal federal laws in this area prohibit:
- Using the internet to severely harass or stalk someone
- Making threats across state lines
- Making harassing or threatening phone calls or sending harassing or threatening messages across state lines
- Computer hacking
Jump Links:
Check If The Harassment Was Discrimination
The harassment you experienced might have been discrimination under the Equality Act. Youll need to check if:
- the person who harassed you is liable under the Equality Act
- you were harassed because of things like your age or race – these things are called protected characteristics
- what happened is harassment under the Equality Act
Recommended Reading: How To Get A Car From A Police Auction
What Steps Should You Take If Youre The Target Of Social Media Harassment
Windham-Bradstock advised taking the following steps if you become the target of social media harassment.
- Save screenshots of everything to use as evidence.
- Notify social media outlets via the channel that they suggest that someone is using your name inappropriately.
- Use social media channels to connect with decision-makers.
What Does A Triple Text Mean
Answered Dec 12, 2021. Double texting means sending a message to someone and then sending another one usually after a bit of time has passed. Triple texting would be sending a third text after that. People often do this to grab the person they are textings attention, especially when they arent responding.
You May Like: How To Be A Military Police Officer
Don’t Miss: When Are Police Reports Available
Different Types Of Criminal Harassment
Harassment can be committed through verbal or non-verbal means. A person may use physical gestures to threaten or annoy a victim, or a person may intimidate a victim through a pattern of behavior, such as showing up at the victim’s home or workplace. Sending harassing messages or images online represents an increasingly common way to intimidate another.
Harassment can also take on many forms. For specific types of behavior, states may impose harsher penalties or create a separate crime.
Having Trouble Reporting Online Harassment
Sometimes, small police departments wont respond even, if you do receive specific threats of violence. The department will tell you there is nothing it can do until the person threatens you offline or comes to your house. In those cases your best bet is to get in touch with the state police as well as the FBI. In a non-emergency situation, you can file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center. Unfortunately, if you do not have any proof of a threat of violence, it will be all but impossible for the police to act.
You May Like: How To Get Gun Back From Police
Encourage Your Child To Tell The Truth
You also need to ask your child to be entirely honest with you about any forms of retaliation they make have taken. Hopefully, they wonât have anything to report, but often kids and teens lash out, and this significantly complicates matters. Let them know that the truth will come out when their cyberbully is confronted, and they will be in far worse shape if they havent been transparent about their behavior. If there is evidence of their actions, document these as well.
You May Like: What Is The Police Report Number
Faq About Cyber Harassment
Is it illegal to harass someone online?
It depends on the severity. Laws vary in different states, but if the harassment involves clearly illegal activities like serious threats, leaking sensitive information, and more, then legal action can be taken.
How do you prove online harassment?
Its important to document as much harassment as possible. At any moment, the harasser may remove the evidence, or the platform may take it down as a violation of terms. By recording images and videos, you have proof.
Can I report harassment online?
Yes. Document as much of the harassment as you can, and then report it to the platform. If your assessment is that the harassment is serious, consider filing a police report.
Can you sue someone for harassment on social media?
Laws vary in different states, but there are some situations where online harassment is severe enough to warrant legal action. Seek legal counsel on this issue.
Recommended Reading: How Long Is The Process To Become A Police Officer