Ending A Climate of Apathy

By David Simms, Senior Contributor

The Global Institute for Cyber Safety and Standards

It is known that people holding high positions in organisations such as Twitter, Facebook, and Google are less likely to have firsthand knowledge of what it is like to be harassed online. This establishes a climate of apathy by these individuals when it comes to making progress in resolving the issue. When one experiences something firsthand it inevitably impacts their perspective driving how and how often they are inclined to think about it.

For instance, the legal director at Scribd, Jason Bentley, changed his views about online harassment after someone he had banned from the platform decided to target his personal life.  The harasser made claims on sites such as Scribd, Craigslist, and Ripoff Report, that Bentley was guilty of raping his own daughter. The obvious result was Bently’s name therefore becoming prominently associated with these claims on Google’s search engine. He took action and pursued the individuals responsible with legal action. He commented in an interview about the ordeal and committed that he will do everything in his power to stop these online abuses against others as well in going forward. However, obviously there are far more people not in positions of power and who cannot afford legal recourse, yet suffer the same. Unfortunately, they become part of the ever growing population that has no way of escaping from their aggressors. One sure way to see positive change occur is for those at the helm of the social media to be subjected to the same relentless obscene nature of what is occurring in their own platforms. Certainly I do not intend to convey I would wish it upon them, rather to make the point that I do believe the destructive consequences of internet abuse and harassment would come to an end quite quickly.   

Resource For Police To Suspend Twitter Accounts

By Carolyn Davies, Contributing Content Blogger

We'd all like to think police have a handle on internet abuse but that's just not so. Many police agencies would know how to contact twitter or could figure it out, but believe it or not there are some police who are unaware and still take an indifferent view of alleged abuse reported by online victims. I thought this would be a useful link everyone should have to provide police an immediate way to request abuse account suspension on the twitter service. If they don't have to look up procedures or think they need to go a more formal route through the court system, an officer will probably move to complete the form at the time a victim reports initially reports it. File under good to know. 

https://support.twitter.com/forms/lawenforcement

Don't Feel Intimidated When Reporting Online Abuse To Police

By Carolyn Davies, Contributing Content Blogger

If you are considering approaching police to file a report about online abuse, you may feel intimidated and worried you will not be taken seriously. That's common but do not let it keep you from seeking the help you need and deserve. Police want to help victims but some facilities, areas, and countries are still catching up to technologically committed crimes. Here is a link victims might well find helpful and though geared toward the UK police process the same should well apply elsewhere.

Remember, the more evidence you have to provide police the more able they are to deal with the online crimes committed against you. Do not delete voice mails, text messages, emails, or social media posts and if abuse is posted online be sure you screenshot and print it before it can be deleted and you lose that evidence before the police can review it.

http://www.stalkinghelpline.org/faq/talking-to-the-police/

Cyberharrassment and bullying is not a myth.

By Abigail Clarke: Contributing Content Blogger

I happened upon an article the other day trying to downplay cyberharassment and bullying. It claimed to be dispelling cyber harassment myths as if these myths were recognised as established. Not so. The article asserted that one of the most common myths is people being turned into cyberbullies by using social media. To me, this seems absurd. Of course nobody is claiming social media itself creates cyberbullies. The creation of a cyberbully mentality starts well before someone becomes acquainted with social media.  Social media is merely the conduit, not the cause.  The article then went on to make the token reassurance that there aren’t as many cyber harassers on the web as it may seem and that a “techno-panic” has been created to give people the impression the problem is much worse than it actually is. Well I disagree. The problem is indeed much worse than most realise and we are seeing dramatic increases in activity not the reverse.  This appears to be more due to the ease at which the Internet can be accessed these days as well as the amount of personal information available that can be exploited against victims.  It is also due to the pervasive element of anonymity that is intrinsic to the nature of online activity. The ability to express latent anger and rage at others without accountability, creates the cyberharasser, not the websites hosting it.  This is not to say social media sites are free from blame, they are enabling the problem.  But we definitely mustn’t be lulled into thinking cyber harassment is not as bad as it seems.  It most certainly is, which most people having any experience on social media can tell you.  

Cyber-Stalking Has No Group Boundaries

By David Simms, Senior Contributor

The Global Institute for Cyber Safety and Standards

Cyber-stalking is generally not a gender, cultural, or other group-specific phenomenon. It can be inflicted by anybody with an internet connection and can be received by anybody via the same. Whether the stalker has a particular personal grudge against their target or they enjoy the psychological high and sense of control they experience when damaging and harassing the lives of others they don’t know or have a personal connection to has no bearing on propensity toward any one group over another.

The latest statistics show that cyber-harassment is experienced almost equally among all groups. There are also interesting statistics showing people who have recently moved from one country to another, or whose parents are immigrants to a new country, experience a slightly higher frequency of internet harassment. Many in this group are also more likely to be perpetrators of the bullying and harassment. It is speculated that this has something to do with being a defense mechanism to preempt attacks against themselves.

What's behind internet trolls?

By Abigail Clarke: Contributing Content Blogger

We're all in for a bit of a shock when taking a look at the mentality behind Internet trolls. How a person can find fulfillment spreading their hateful remarks on others is hard for those normal of us to understand. It's said that trolls share the same aggressive tendencies as pedophiles, rapists, serial killers, and other abusive characters – and I would agree.  There is still research being done to determine if Internet social media platforms act as a catalyst for physical aggression or if they actually work to draw attention away from carrying out aggression in the physical realm.  To me it seems both could be argued but I tend to believe there is a much greater probability that a troubled person, already predisposed to acting out hate against others online, would be more likely to carry out physical aggression than not. Simply put, social media caters to the cyber troll’s destructive nature and encourages them to act out, not retreat. Studies in bio sciences have actually shown that aggression builds especially strong pathways in the brain to which more and more stimulation is required in order to feel satisfied. This vicious cycle can easily be seen by the countless incidents of aggressive trolls crossing the line – breaking into homes, stalking their victims, and ultimately taking physical action that has led to numerous criminal acts of harassment, rape, and murder.

Every Internet troll should be regarded as dangerous. The first mistake would be to trivialise or disregard any threats of physical harm. This is not to mean that we should ever engage these people, it only means that sick people do act on their aggressive and violent thoughts. Today, with the growing ease in which personal information can be obtained, no one is really perfectly safe.  This is why awareness, vigilance, and swift-acting law enforcement are key components when it comes to establishing effective cyber-safety measures. At the same time, we must not fear Internet trolls to the extent they prevent us from living our lives.

Cyberspace Correlation To Mental Health

By David Simms, Senior Contributor
The Global Institute for Cyber Safety and Standards

There has been a relatively sudden drastic increase in the number of young people seeking treatment for mental health problems. It appears this is a direct result of social media and the “digital” culture in general, becoming an integral component of daily life.  In the UK alone, reports say there has been a 25 percent increase in the number of young people being referred for psychological health problems which is rather significant considering this occurred over just the last year. The phenomenon of “future shock,” in which technology outpaces its users, appears to be finally catching up to the human condition. 

Now, digital communication is the norm and has become not only a common activity among young people, but actually a seemingly intrinsic aspect to their DNA.  Today, young people carry out complete relationships online through texting and sexting, developing fewer and fewer traditional face-to-face relationships. It has reached the point that even making voice-calls to others is mostly avoided. This has resulted in a severe vacuum in basic skills of interaction. Interaction that is still necessary in today’s world when it comes to being a productive member of society and also as future parents to the generations following. 

The ever-growing social media platforms are in the process of creating a new global culture in which bullying and harassing our fellow peers has never been easier.

The Cyber-Bullying Fight in Turkey

By David Simms, Senior Contributor

Cyber-bullying has been spreading through the country of Turkey, particularly amongst young people. A recent poll conducted in İstanbul by the Young Life Foundation organisation shows that one third of all school age children suffer from the violence and humiliation of this growing problem. I can attest to the fact that this is not an isolated occurrence, rather something we are seeing more and more regardless of country or region. What sets the Turkish problem apart though is that there is a much higher degree of violence associated with cyber bullying as compared to other countries. It also follows that young males are twice as likely to be bullied online that females there. The true reasons for this cannot be stated with confidence, but it is clear that the Turkish culture has much to do with it. Domestic abuse is extremely common in Turkey so children are much more likely to become exposed to aggression and violence at a young age.  When children see their parents or other adults acting out, it forms a foundation of reality saying ‘it is okay to do this to other people.’ In Turkish culture, men are considered dominant on all fronts. They are always heads of households and respected above women. This may be the reason such a disproportionate number of young boys are both executors and recipients of cyber harassment. It is viewed as a mark of strength to dominate others and is many times condoned to do so. The internet therefore is merely an extension of this mind-frame and behaviour. Also the fact that smart technology and internet access has become very affordable even to the poorest of people, bespeaks the rising trends seen there. 

So far there is nothing new of note as to the mode of cyber-harassment taking place in Turkey –   there was a recent example of a woman from İzmir province whose boyfriend uploaded sexual images of her to various internet sites in order to take revenge after she left him. She subsequently lost her job and family as a result. The difference however is in the frequency such events are beginning to happen with a growing number ending in suicide.   

Creating Mentors

By David Simms, Senior Contributor

Since the dawning of the digital age, computer technology and now the blossoming internet have come so far. Unfortunately along with its splendor and wonder, we must also accept the monumental amount of negativity and hate that is regularly rippled throughout the fabric of cyberspace. Hate that erodes away the integrity of the human spirit.  Though we may not be ourselves victims directly, we can still be affected by the mere observation of damage happening to others. We all lose! Cyber harassment, bullying, stalking, hate, are all aspects of the larger category of cybercrime.  These crimes are executed at more elevated rates than has ever been seen and on a wider scope than has ever been seen.  The problem has exploded internationally reaching to nearly all communities.  It is for this reason the Global Institute was created. It is a work dedicated to providing not only a safe haven for those under attack but also an opportunity for those with heart, to become involved and give of themselves to help fellow brothers and sisters. We have been working to consolidate information from a multitude of countries to our website in an effort to show the world it is not an isolated problem. Although every country has its own set of laws, constraints, cultural challenges, economic challenges, and so forth, there is value in sharing each other’s challenges, so that we can find a common thread and common identity. It is only then that it can be fully addressed and conquered. 

The problem of cybercrime is happening everywhere. Therefore communities and individuals need the tools to protect and heal themselves before they can then move to help others. It is our goal to write so that people will see, speak so that people will hear, and educate so that they will do. Our mentorship program was established for this purpose. Mentors possess the training to help victims of cyber-crime where it matters. We try to align victims with mentors sharing similar cultural backgrounds however, it is not always necessary as the crimes of cyber-hate transcend culture. To our fortune, we have been blessed with wonderful resources and exceptional individuals who are committed to training our mentors. To these incredible people we owe much and it is through them that our faith in humanity is regained.  It is our sincere desire that you join us if not as a mentor, as a supporter of what we stand for.

Psychological online terrorism.

By Abigail Clarke: Contributing Content Blogger 

I'll have a go at a tough topic. It's a bit hard for most of us to understand what delights online abusers to such an extreme, most of us not being sadistic enough to relate. Psychological terrorism is a term that has much pertinence under the umbrella of cyber hate or harassment. The people who get high on this kind of online terrorism feel a sense of godfulness I suppose whilst playing with the personal details and emotions of their target’s life. I think they indeed do believe themselves supreme to others.

The cyber terrorist usually operates from the position they'll be revealing extremely humiliating and damaging information about their victim. This type of harassment is seen associated in proper form with social engineering and cousin, mobbing. In order to achieve dominance over a victim, the psychoterrorist needs the participation of others to complete the illusion that what is being purported is believed and condoned by large numbers of people. Even if there are really only few others involved, they will intentionally leak bits of truth in a taunting way through the use of anonymous tweets or posts to at least give the illusion more people are involved than really are. These people act out in this way to overcompensate for an intense lacking of self-worth and importance.

The online terrorist has the opportunity, through anonymity, to pretend they are in an all-powerful position holding superior intellect and skill compared to the victim they are abusing. The laugh were it to be funny is these people are among the most cowardly and insecure individuals one could happen on. The worst situation a psychological terrorist fears is being identified and exposed. For if they were, they would have to face the pathetic reality of who they really are. Recognising these people for what they are is important but preventing them from carrying out their deeds is even more so isn't it? I'd like to know from the social media outlets housing these people and allowing their behaviours, just what do you plan to do about this and why is it taking so long?