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.   

Twitter Takes Another Step To Protecting Users

By Carolyn Davies, Contributing Blogger

Hello, Twitter has been in the news as of late with its plans to crack down on cyberbullies and other internet abusers. Now they have taken another positive step in helping bridge victims between online reporting and real realm reporting to law enforcement officers. They are provide a new option in their Block and Report feature which enables victims to print off a police report to submit in their area.

Here is an article write up discussing the new measure and showing examples of how it will work in action. Please share this with others so they will be aware of the new feature.

http://www.itproportal.com/2015/03/19/twitter-tackle-cyberbullying-print-police-report-option/

Twitter CEO Says They Suck At Dealing With Trolls, But That's About To Change

By Carolyn Davies, Contributing Blogger

Finally the social media giant Twitter is taking action. Last month, their CEO, Dick Costolo took personal responsibility after the platform came under scrutiny for their role in the rampancy of cyber abusers leveraging their free and anonymous service as a tool to abuse and draw harm to targeted victims. Some of those victims committing suicide in response to the abuse and public humiliation received. In his own words, Mr. Costolo sent a memo to Twitter employees. He says: 

"We suck at dealing with abuse and trolls on the platform and we've sucked at it for years. It's no secret and the rest of the world talks about it every day. We lose core user after core user by not addressing simple trolling issues that they face every day.

I'm frankly ashamed of how poorly we've dealt with this issue during my tenure as CEO. It's absurd. There's no excuse for it. I take full responsibility for not being more aggressive on this front. It's nobody else's fault but mine, and it's embarrassing.

We're going to start kicking these people off right and left and making sure that when they issue their ridiculous attacks, nobody hears them. Everybody on the leadership team knows this is vital."

I am giving you the link for the full article. This is a big step for the company and can only lead to more and more improvement in online safety.

http://mashable.com/2015/02/04/twitter-ceo-trolls/

Phishing Has Surpassed Financially Oriented Aims

By David Simms, Senior Contributor

The Global Institute for Cyber Safety and Standards

The familiar topic of Phishing has gained a higher profile in the world of cyber-stalking and for good reason. This online crime is a form of social engineering in which the attacker attempts to acquire sensitive information from a victim by insidiously charading as a harmless third party. Internet users need to be alert and aware that this is a particularly dangerous type of cyber-stalking in that it can initially appear overwhelmingly innocuous. Such attackers aim to craft the most convincing illusion that they can be trusted, often posing as sympathetic friends or even as legitimate-looking businesses or professionals. They then use acquired information to begin or further escalate a cyber-harassment attack. Often the end result is the extortion of money, blackmail, or simply humiliating and shaming a victim to the outcome of suicide. Sometimes a phisher will use urgent warnings or project themselves as trying to protect the target by giving false information of an impending threat or attack. In any case, these menacing individuals are devious and ultimately will deceive, take from, harm, or damage a victim to acquire gain.

It is important for people to understand that Phishing has been traditionally associated as a cyber-crime term with offenders primarily going after banking information, passwords, and credit cards. Most of us already know to be on high alert when receiving emails or attachments requesting we furnish our private details. However, Phishing has surpassed such financially oriented aims and adapted into a lethal form of cyber-harassment and stalking. Both sides of this coin need discussing.

Nothing on the Internet is Private Beware

By Carolyn Davis, Contributing Content Blogger

Nothing posted on the internet is private though even in this day and age there are still some who don't know this. Many are under the perception that personal information shared with friends remains with friends. Not so. The internet is ripe with cyberstalking. This short clip I share below suggests strange men as being the principal perpetrators of online stalking, but everyone need know a large proportion of cyberstalking is carried out by friends or others identified already as safe by the victim.

Doxing poses real dangers to online victims.

By Abigail Clarke: Contributing Content Blogger

A mere days ago I heard about a doxing incident. It wasn't named for what it was in the press of course! You would have to live in a bog to have missed the news. The story involved a situation where a woman claimed to have been gang raped. She took her story to Rolling Stone magazine who decided to publish it. The doxing came about when a blogger dug into the woman’s past finding her real name and other personal information which he used to threaten and intimidate her with. To justify his illegal degree of privacy invasion he claimed to be a vigilante of the truth and told her that he would post her personal information unless she admitted the story was false. He posted the information about her anyway.

Doxing is the activity of obtaining publicly listed or private information about a person to then use as a leverage of threat against them. Yes it was proven that the Rolling Stone story was indeed false, the larger point I want to make is the way which it was exposed. The privacy invasion, pressuring or intimidation of anyone, regardless of their alleged offense, should never be executed in the manner it was in this circumstance. This is cyber harassment in disguise and the blogger a cyber bullying criminal.

I was always taught that two wrongs don’t make a right!  What this blogger achieved was not a win for some kind of good. It was a strong message condoning the practice of ransoming a person’s private information and intimidating them. Using the internet to muscle people about or violate their privacy for your own means or gains, even under some alleged cause, is not an act of integrity or one any of us should applaud. Doxing is a crime and crimes should be punished!

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.

(Series Piece 8) Anna Kavanaugh - Syndicated Columnist - Weekly Column - Cyber Abuse: The Virtual Violent Crime

By David Simms, Senior Contributor

The Global Institute for Cyber Safety and Standards

Today we proudly publish for syndication this week's installment of our featured columnist, Anna Kavanaugh, and her brilliant column, Cyber Abuse: The Virtual Violent Crime. This is Series Piece 8 and an excellent read in her column series. Anna's is a distinctive and ardent voice of expertise and wisdom in defining and describing what she rightly deems a global pandemic of virtual confusion whereby a societal breakdown of empathy and compassion confuse and pose serious threat to legal boundaries and civilised conduct. In this piece she discusses some of the pathology and psychological tactics used by cyber-abusers and also offers up some empowering advice to online victims. It is our honour to now present you with another perceptive and powerful installment of Anna's weekly column. Comments are open on the full article page for feedback and to encourage discussion.

Cyber Abuse: The Virtual Violent Crime. (Series Piece 8)

Written by Anna Kavanaugh, Syndicated Columnist

Published for syndication by: The Global Institute for Cyber Safety and Standards (GICSS)

“Just get over it,” they say.

“Grow some thicker skin, you big baby” they taunt.

“Enough with your drama,” they sneer.

These are just a few of the dismissive remarks used by cyber-abusers to further degrade their victims. They use childish statements such as these as tools of manipulation in their mental warfare, to make a victim feel trivialized and ultimately silenced. Victims who try to resist or speak out against the abuse inflicted upon them can commonly expect to hear these juvenile barbs in response. This is only a predictable posturing measure dually deployed for both deflection and minimization. However, in the mind of a cyber-abuser, there is a pathological justification trigger that gives creed to the words they say. They cannot comprehend the severe ramifications of their brutal abuse or the repugnance of the defamation campaigns and false realities they create to deliberately destroy their target prey. Nor do they understand the calamitous aftermath their victims are left debilitated by in the physical realm. Only if a cyber-abuser were to experience the trauma, injustice, damage, and personal violation of a public assassination campaign, would they understand that “letting it go,” does not apply. A victim cannot simply “move on,” from a cyber-abuse campaign. This is because, in the public domain, a smear campaign can propagate indefinitely, making the resulting damages to a victim’s life a perpetual crisis from which they feel there is no escape and no recovery. And that is precisely why we see so many of them turn to suicide seeking desperate relief from the ongoing trauma they sustain.

Click Here to Continue Reading Full Column

(Series Piece 6) Anna Kavanaugh - Syndicated Columnist - Weekly Column - Cyber Abuse: The Virtual Violent Crime

By David Simms, Senior Contributor

The Global Institute for Cyber Safety and Standards

Another Monday has come round again and just as scheduled this morning we proudly publish for syndication this week's installment of our featured columnist, Anna Kavanaugh, and her brilliant column, Cyber Abuse: The Virtual Violent Crime. This is Series Piece 6 and an excellent read in her column series. Anna's is a distinctive and ardent voice of expertise and wisdom in defining and describing what she rightly deems a global pandemic of virtual confusion whereby a societal breakdown of empathy and compassion confuse and pose serious threat to legal boundaries and civilised conduct. In this piece she brings us an unparalleled address on the key psychological manipulations used by cyber-abusers through the pathological and cruel process she refers to as the dehumanization and deindividuation of online victims. It is our honour to now present you with another perceptive and powerful installment of Anna's weekly column. Comments are open on the full article page for feedback and to encourage discussion.

Cyber Abuse: The Virtual Violent Crime. (Series Piece 6)

Written by Anna Kavanaugh, Syndicated Columnist

Published for syndication by: The Global Institute for Cyber Safety and Standards (GICSS)

"It’s you. Not me.”

This is just one of the psychological manipulations that cyber-abusers use to posture control over their victims. But, they’re wrong.

A study of the mentality and inner mechanisms that lie beneath the manifestations of the deviant and criminally minded behaviors executed by a cyber-abuser can be an intimidating and downright frightening experience. That is, until we begin to recognize the pathological commonality seen in all cyber-abusers that really makes these individuals seem rather ordinary. There is nothing unique about any of them and their predictability can be easily measured. They employ the same tactics and display the same triggered responses seen in their tell-tale escalation of abuse, and their deflective reaction to being exposed for that abuse. Once this is understood they become much less scary, which often allows victims to maintain a higher level of emotional strength for a longer period of time. But tragically, for many victims of cyber-abuse, this understanding does not come before they have fulfilled suicide as a means to escape the trauma they have endured. The relentless abuse and resulting damages sustained by a victim will eventually begin to erode their sense of spirit and scar them with profound wounds to their soul. By the time a victim seeks the desperate relief of physical death, they have already died. The act of suicide becomes only a means to an end of their ongoing pain and suffering.

Click Here to Continue Reading Full Column

South African Information and Communication Technologies

By David Simms, Senior Contributor

The Global Institute for Cyber Safety and Standards

It has been suggested that ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies) should be handled differently in different countries, this most in particular when referring to South Africa. Spokespeople claim that though there exists an extreme wealth polarisation in the country, access to ICTs are still prevalent everywhere and becoming more-so exponentially. In conjunction with ubiquitous access, South Africa is experiencing high rates of gender-based violence already prevalent in the country. This is thought to be exacerbating cyber-bullying occurrences. Quantitatively, the risky practice of sexting has escalated considerably more in South Africa than in other countries where gender-based violence is less common. Corporal punishment is still widely used throughout the country and is subject to some controversy. Speculation reveals this is having a direct effect on young people’s propensity toward cyber-harassment and like bullying crimes.

Throughout the European Union, Australia, and North American countries, a united system would prove effective but South Africa may well be one country, summarising its unique set of cultural differences, that may require novel and specifically tailored laws to address the growing cyber problem there. The one commonality with any other country though, is the timing and swiftness of action as nowhere and for no reason should victims continue to be victimised or pursued to suicide.

If Only It Were This Easy (Bullying PSA)

By Carolyn Davies, Contributing Content Blogger

Sharing this video PSA on cyberbullying. If Only It Were This Easy displays the very real effects of cyberbullying and reminds us of the drastic end so many victims of online abuse and hate find when they take their lives in suicide. Please watch and share this video and open discussion with your children. Another thing to be reminded of with this is the cry for help from victims. Never dismiss them or believe they won't take action on their talk of suicide. Talking about suicide is a cry for help in desperation of not being able to take on any more pain. We have to listen to victims.

Caution! Stalked Through GPS

By Carolyn Davies, Contributing Content Blogger

This is rather an informative and important video about cyber stalkers and how they are using GPS information to locate their targets. Everyone should hear about these new tricks being used and about what you can do to be aware and avoid the problem if you're ever targeted. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgkA6Nn_opQ

A Global Network to Fight a Global Problem

By David Simms, Senior Contributor

There is an organisation known as the Child Helpline International (CHI) who is doing much great work. CHI is conducting ongoing development and support of toll-free child helplines worldwide and uses data to detect inconsistencies and weaknesses in existing child protection systems. This organisation was started in India some 25 years ago and was originally known as Childline India.   Their approach was to have volunteers speak on the phone directly to children in need and keep logs of all calls.  From there it evolved into a global network. Now, helplines around the world can join under the umbrella of CHI as long as they meet basic criteria. 

At present there are 127 countries involved. In the 25 years CHI has been in operation, cyberbullying and harassment has become more of a central problem they deal with on a daily basis. This is a very tangible indication that the issue of cyberbullying is significantly supplanting the crisis’ youth face in the modern age. It is pleasing to see that CHI is pioneering such a service to young people around the globe. Their work is very similar to ours here at the Global Institute however our focus is expanded to help adults facing the destruction in their lives due to cyber harassment. We are also aligned with the modes of communication typically used in this day and age.  It is of utmost importance that we bond together in our fight and that we adapt to changing technologies. 

As the world evolves in its communications it is our policy that, so too must we. In order to be effective it is our philosophy the battle must be fought where these crimes are taking place which is primarily through social media sites that are now accessed more by smartphone or ipads.

The Troll

By Abigail Clarke: Contributing Content Blogger

What's a troll? I've often wondered. Whenever I come across this word, I first picture a dumbly over sized monster so often depicted in films. I might not be far off the mark really, at least personality wise. 

The word “troll” has reinvented itself in the modern slang of the internet. A troll on the internet is someone who intentionally tries to upset others by starting arguments or posting unnecessarily inflammatory messages on blogs, in chat rooms, or forums. This is essentially the same thing as flaming where “flamers” go about their ways posting nasty comments to start angry dialogue. As is the usual theme, anonymity plays a central component in this cowardly immature activity so many are prone to. 

There's been an effort to understand the psychology of the internet troll, in a study conducted that questioned over 400 participants on their internet activity and behaviours. As it shakes out, those who actually enjoy trolling or flaming also have a disproportionate sadistic nature to their personalities which is formally characterised as psychopathic. In fact, statistical analysis places a significant overlap between the troll and the sadist.  They are indistinguishable. It can basically be said that these people writing nasty comments are doing so because they have need to harm other people. The sadist or troll, is someone who is vicious and degrading toward others. Keep in mind these traits are commonly seen in serial killers and sex offender personalities. The sadistic troll combs through chat forums and the like, spending over an hour per day spreading their invective. This is a sickness and we are just now coming to realise the internet exacerbates the condition at the unfortunate expense of others.

Trolls are a scare and even the most dumbly over sized monsters can do a terrible amount of damage in films and online. Should we not be doing something about seeing to it the clubs these trolls bang on with are taken away from them?

Onlookers and Mob Psychology

David Simms, Senior Contributor

In most internet stalking or harassment cases there are three parties involved: the perpetrator, the victim, and the onlooker. When someone is the target of cyber harassment, they can feel violated and helpless against their attacker.  But the suffering can be intensified if the victim is aware others are viewing what is happening and do nothing to help. So in addition to the pain they already feel, the sense of abandonment a victim feels can be all it takes to push them to suicide. Some onlookers may not want to become involved for fear of becoming a target themselves or may feel inadequate in what help they could bring.  Many times onlookers believe nobody is aware they are even there and can therefore observe without feeling guilty for not helping the situation. 

The great irony is that onlookers become part of the equation through observing it, even though they usually want no part in it.  In certain cases onlookers may join forces with the perpetrator to help dish out punishment to the victim. People who do this either participate because they discover they won’t be held accountable for their actions by law enforcement or are convinced by false perceptions that they are participating in a righteous act ordained by God, punishing the wicked. In any circumstance, it can quickly transform into mob-like behaviour where a victim suffers at the hands of many. Mob psychology is such that an outside attempt to change the prevailing view will be unsuccessful. If questioned about their actions, regardless of their irrationality, the mob will defend and justify their activity. Individual components of the mob are weak and directionless however in a group they have inertia. Individuals in the mob are expected to go along with what is collectively believed. Nazi Germany is a classic example. 

Mobs are innately dumb and easily controlled once they are convinced of a reality, regardless of its credibility. It is obvious that mobs in relation to a cyber harassment campaign can be one of the most reckless and ruinous entities there is.

Bullycide = real suicide = real death.

By Abigail Clarke: Contributing Content Blogger 

Bullycide is defined by most as the act of an individual who takes their own life as a result of being bullied. It is a term that has just recently begun to gain traction in bigger circles as a real problem. Bullying has traditionally been considered a rite of passage for everyone as they go through childhood. It is viewed as a toughening up of a person and helps one to deal with the hard knocks of the adult world.  This couldn't be further from the actual reality. Cyberbullying has flown under the radar as a major cause of suicides committed every day not only by children but by adults as well. The tendency is to write off a suicide death as being carried out by someone who is troubled or having emotional problems that led to their final act, but in many cases this wrongly places more fault on the suicide victim than those who are really responsible. In fact it allows bullies to dodge accountability through arguing and justifying their actions by placing blame on the victim’s mental instability. 

We must raise awareness to the fact bullying is not just something people need to buck up and deal with. It's clear now that its damage is more profound than ever thought before, unequivocally eroding away the confidence and self worth  of a victim causing unrecoverable damage in their life which in many cases ultimately ends in suicide. It is also becoming well known that bullying doesn’t just occur with children but is extremely common in the adult workplace. Studies have been done showing that suicides in adults can be linked directly to some kind of bullying taking place at work or through the internet in association with work. The commonality with children and adults is the same. Physical death. In what country, in what world, can we possibly be agreeable to this?

An Australian Study on Stalking

By David Simms, Senior Contributor

A study was done on convicted stalkers in an Australian mental health unit. It was determined there were 5 distinct types based on predominant behaviours and the context in which the stalking occurred.  There was also a psychiatric diagnosis made on all subjects involved. This categorisation is now applied to cyber stalkers as their actions and motivations are identical. 

1) The Rejected stalker is one who has already had an intimate relationship with the victim and is not accepting the relationship coming to an end. Their behaviour is expressed as a blend of revenge and a desire to reconcile with the victim.

2) The Intimacy seeker stalker is one who tries to have a relationship with a person they have been fixated on and thinks reciprocates their feelings.   

3)  The Incompetent suitor stalker is someone who wants to develop relationships but they are usually socially incompetent and intellectually challenged to the point a healthy relationship is impossible. 

4) Resentful stalkers are those that harass their target to intentionally cause fear out of the want to pay back for the wrongs they perceive were done to them by the victim. 

5) Predatory stalkers are those who gather personal information and observe a target in anticipation of a sexual attack.

No matter how we look at it, someone who possesses a stalker mentality, regardless of type, is a potential threat. It is true these characteristics have been among us since the beginning of civilisation but with the creation of the world wide web, it allows these deviancies to manifest in ways we could never have anticipated. The internet stalker can be argued to be a much more menacing presence than a real-world one mainly because of the 24/7 access they have to their victim.  Staking someone out online is technically much easier.  Whereas a stalker in the physical world has the obstacles of getting around to keep track of their target and also the much higher risk of being identified and caught, online stalkers can remain in the comfort of their anonymity without leaving home. Being able to trace where a person goes on the internet tells troves of information about them. It is commonly claimed by victims that stalkers get into their minds.  This is one of the reasons they are so dangerous. Because they are able to play with people’s reality, it can have devastating effects in other areas of their lives.  It also can easily become a lifelong trauma for the victim.  Even if their cyber stalker is apprehended and the activity ceases, a victim must carry distrust and self-doubt when it comes to interacting with anyone in the future.

Cyber Harassment Knows No Gender

By David Simms, Senior Contributor

There is a misconception that women are recipients of more cyber harassment than men.  In actuality, men receive more abuse as a whole through the internet than women do. The nastiness and hateful language directed toward men is regarded in most cultures as something that can be shrugged off and dealt with by the stronger sex. Many feminists would disagree, arguing that sexual slurs and other abusive communications toward women make up the majority of online harassment. Although women are targeted much of the time through sexual slurs or condescending feminine remarks, men are targets of the same kinds of attacks such as being threatened with rape and sexual violence. They are also commonly attacked about their physical appearance and lacking of intelligence among other common abuse normally attributed toward women. 

In fairness, there are countries however where there is a disproportionate amount of online abuse directed at women. Middle Eastern and some Asian cultures traditionally hold women in a lower social class.  They are not allowed the same privileges as men and are dealt with swiftly and harshly if they break customs. Women in India for example, are easy targets for cyber harassment because of prevailing views in the region.  Men are regarded as more trustworthy, honorable, and entitled. There have been several cases where women are persecuted by the system even though they were targeted by known male cyber villains.

It is easy to view cyber harassment as more of a women’s problem, after all studies have shown that the majority of perpetrators of cyber bullying tend to be female, but this doesn’t preclude men from being their targets as well as females.  There are many suggested reasons for this including the ability to remain anonymous and are therefore protected from physical confrontation.  Women routinely partake in attacking men online. Male celebrities and politicians are some of the most attacked groups. Traditionally in the physical world, women are victims of gender violence more than men and it is assumed this carries over to the internet – not the case.

Understanding Cyber Stalking

By David Simms, Senior Contributor

Cyber stalking is when a person’s privacy is invaded and they are followed and pursued online. It is a form of harassment, and can disrupt the life of the victim and leave them feeling very afraid and threatened. Typically, the cyber stalker's victim is inexperienced or relatively new to the internet therefore being unfamiliar with taking certain precautions when dealing with others online. Cyber stalker’s main targets are mostly females, children, or those perceived as emotionally weak or unstable. Although there are many statistics showing trends and numbers of those affected, they are largely inaccurate as a high percentage of cases go unreported. As bad as the phenomenon appears to be, we are seeing only the tip of the iceberg.  Many children who are harassed will not report it in fear of being targeted all the more as  tattletales. Adults may be even less likely to report due to extreme embarrassment in their workplace or at home with their families where they are viewed as protector. This fact makes it especially difficult for men and only intensifies the damaging effects.  

There are generally two types of cyber stalking situations that arise.  One is when the activity begins online and remains online. This can have devastating effects on a victim’s mental state depending on their personal situation and could ultimately end in suicide. The other type is when activity begins online and transfers to physical stalking. Obviously this ratchets the danger to a whole new level compounding the distress felt by a victim.  The motivations of a cyber stalker can originate from several places. It could be from an argument that got out of hand leading to some kind of need by the stalker to seek revenge on you. This could be the result of something you may have innocently said or done online that gave the wrong perception. Although many revenge stalking cases begin with some kind of provoking argument, they can begin for no reason at all leaving a victim clueless as to how they were targeted and why. In many situations neither the victim nor the stalker will know each other. A victim may be chosen at random for the stalker to unleash pent up hate and frustration resulting from an unrelated matter. Unbelievably, there are also stalkers who want to show off their skills to themselves and their friends.  They are simply doing it for fun without any realisation of the terror and damage they are causing to another life. Most people who receive threats online imagine their harasser to be large and powerful, but in fact the threat may be coming from a child who does not really have any means of carrying out the physical threats made.  But having said this, a victim should always take threats and harassment seriously. As laws become more effective in dealing with this troubling area of crime, perpetrators will be less able to hide behind their computer screens. It is my belief we will see a dramatic decrease in cyber crimes when people are fearful of being caught and held accountable for what they are doing.

A Great Video on Real World vs. Online World

By Carolyn Davies, Contributing Content Blogger

This short video hits on several truths and reminds us that what is not acceptable in the real world should not be acceptable in the online world of the internet.