What is cyberstalking and how do we protect ourselves from the attack?
Cyberstalking is a type of cybercrime that uses the Internet and electronic communication means to harass or stalk a person. Moreover, it is an extension of cyberbullying and in-person stalking and takes the form of .text messages, instance messages (IM), social media posts, emails, and other platforms. Besides, it is a persistent, methodical and deliberate act to annoy victims and perhaps dehumanize an individual. The anonymity features of the Internet worsen cyberstalking and emboldens the criminal to harass more without being detected and punished.
The perpetrators commit cyberstalking for revenge, grudge, anger, control or a whole other purposes that only the stalker knows. The criminal monitors the online and sometimes offline activities and location of the victim to annoy, intimidate, frighten, and blackmail the victim. Furthermore, cyberstalking starts small and grow bigger to mess someone’s life. Cybercrime laws and regulations should be established and enacted to minimize the rate and impact of cyberstalking attacks. In addition, cyberstalking may take direct or indirect approaches to attack the victim.
Cyberstalking and cyberbullying are not the same cybercrimes. Cyberstalking is a crime that requires the involvement of adult person to mildly or grossly harass someone else through the ubiquitous electronic devices and the Internet. Whereas, cyberbullying attack mostly occurs with people of similar age range such as children, preteen or teen in which the attacker humiliates, torments, embarrasses, harasses, and/or threatens the victim through digital gadgets.
Cyberstalking and cyberbullying are both ugly and unpleasant byproducts of the modern information age or the Internet age. Because, they cause detrimental mental and physical damage to the victims and cause huge mental health crisis and even beyond. Moreover, cyberstalking drastically affect the victim to suffer from problems such as anxiety, distress, depression and suicidal ideation. These cyberattacks demand due attentions from all stakeholders likewise other inherent cyberattacks and cybercrimes.