Digital Stalking
National Centre for Cyberstalking Research
2013
Cyberstalking
Cyberstalking is generally considered to
be harassment that originates online,
however it is also recognised that other
forms of pre-existing stalking can transfer
into online environments
Occurrence of Cyberstalking
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Cyberstalking can be said to occur when
there has been persistent and frequent
unwanted contact from another
individual/s
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The behaviour in question has caused
fear and distress.
Types of attack
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Identity theft – controlling victim’s credentials
Posting false profiles
Posing as the victim and attacking others
Discrediting in online communities
Discrediting victim in workplace
Direct threats through email/instant messaging
Constructing websites targeting the victim
Transferring attack to victim’s relatives
Use of the victim’s image
Provoking others to attack the victim
Following the victim in cyberspace
Prevalence of Problem
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2.1 million across the UK
 1.2 million females
 0.9 million males
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Number of male victims is growing
How Aggressors Obtain Information?
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Digital Footprints
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Personal information
Financial information
Internet usage
Details of friends and family
Daily activities
Work
Location and much more
Social Networking Sites
 Facebook
 Twitter
Geo-Location
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“Foursquare” app
 Discover where your friends are
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“Girls Around Me” app- banned by Foursquare
 Merging Facebook and Foursquare information with Google
Maps and real-time GPS location data
 Tells where nearby women are; allows to see their full name,
photos, and send them messages
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Facebook
 Check-in where you are
 Add people you are with
 Add date
Risks
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Physical danger
Identity theft
Obtaining contact information
Accounts takeover
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Observation and Understanding
The ECHO Study - Electronic
Communication Harassment Observation
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Commissioned by the Network for Surviving
Stalking
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Pilot study commenced in September 2010
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Analysis of the survey to be published in May
2011
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New extended study launched and will run for
one year
Observation and Understanding
The ECHO Study - Electronic Communication
Harassment Observation
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The results indicated that 22.8% of cases
(25.9% for males, 21.4% females) report that
their harasser was a stranger
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27.9% (21.2% males, 31.3% females) say the
harasser was someone they dated/were
married to
Transmission to other
Environments
The more fixated an individual is, the more likely
they are to move from one online environment to
another until the target’s online presence is fully
intruded upon
Transmission to other
Environments
73.55% of cases reported 2 or more mediums of
harassment and 57.7% of cases reported that they had
been harassed through more than 2 mediums (Phone calls,
texts, e-mail, social networking sites, instant messages and
physical environment)
The Psychological Impact
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
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32.7% of respondents who reported experiencing
harassment indicate symptoms of PTSD
according to the clinical questionnaire.
Respondents indicating PTSD were more likely
to report more changes to their lives due to the
harassment
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50 % of people experiencing harassment
electronically and physically (combined stalking)
experience PTSD
Types of Traumas
Cyberstalking
victims 32.7%
Combined
stalking victims
50%
Air crash survivors 22 - 40%
Sexual assault
22-50%
RTA survivors 11%
Aid workers 30-50%
Combat veterans 22-50%
Bomb survivors 50%
Effectiveness of services and
other interventions
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53.4%(47.7% males, 54.9% females) reported
their problem to some authority
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10.8% (10.2% for Males, 11.3% for females) of
the cases reported ended due to legal
intervention (by police or Solicitors)
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37.2% of harassed people (27.3% of Males,
40.7% of Females) received some form of help to
cope with the harassment.
How to Protect Yourself?
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Assess what online information exists about you
Change your e-mail and passwords for key
online accounts and keep them safe
Review all the privacy and security settings
Avoid public forums
Limit what you share
Educate friends, family and work colleagues
Gather evidence
Report to police
Seek help and support for the charities
Cyberstalking Forensics
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The majority of evidence is gathered from the
victims immediate physical vicinity
Cyberstalking Monitor applications can record
and transmit interactions between offender &
victim simultaneously to law enforcement officers
Event log files from ISPs, Telecoms, employer
network systems, etc., can correlate offender
communications
Existing technologies can assist with attribution &
prosecution of offenders such as CCTV, GPS,
etc.
Bringing Cyberstalking ‘Out of the
Shadows’
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The problem is multidisciplinary and requires a
multidisciplinary approach
More research is required to understand the
problem
Initial indications are that the behaviours and
composition of the online stalking population
differ significantly from traditional stalking –
opening diverse lines of enquiry for research and
the development of effective interventions
Legal Change
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The Internet is a conduit through which an
increasing amount of interaction with society is
conducted. The impact on an individual of such
communications is significantly greater than it
was 10 years ago.
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Facebook, which now has over 600 million users
(10% of the world's population), was only
launched in 2004!
Legal Change
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In recent years we have seen changes to
legislation that recognise the impact of
technology on society and the ease with which
criminal offences can be committed.
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Most notably, the Police and Justice Act of 2006
amended the Computer Misuse Act of 1990. One
change was the length of maximum jail sentence.
Legal Change
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Malicious Communications Act of 1988 amended
by the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 ensure electronic communications were
covered.
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However, there should be reconsideration of
whether the punishment currently legislated is
sufficient.
Legal Change
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Protection From Harassment Act 1997 - does not
explicitly state electronic communications.
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A clear statement of electronic communications
would assist investigating police officers in
seizing evidence in cases of Cyberstalking.
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Current lack of power to seize evidence, and this
only exacerbates the problem of attribution.
Law Change
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Amendments have been made to the Protection
of Freedoms Bill making stalking a specific
offence in England and Wales.
One of the amendments includes the ability for
Police to have access to the use of the internet,
email or any other form of electronic
communication associated with stalking.
The commencement order for the new law was
25th November 2012