In July 2017, a Pew Research Center survey found that forty-one percent (41%) of Americans claimed to have experienced some form of on-line harassment. Of those claiming to have been harassed on-line, the majority described this harassment as name calling or intentional embarrassment. Only eighteen percent (18%) of those surveyed claimed to have experienced a more sever type of harassment such as "physical threats, sustained harassment, stalking and sexual harassment". (1)
Of all of those who claimed to have been a victim of on-line harassment, fifty-eight percent (58%) claimed that the harassment came through social media (i.e. Facebook and Twitter), twenty-three percent (23%) claimed that the harassment occurred in the comments section of a web-site, while fifteen percent (15%) claimed that they were harassed through a text message or messaging app.
The most commonly cited reason for being harassed on-line was because of one’s expressed political views. Of those individuals who claimed to have been the victim of on-line harassment, thirty-five percent (35%) related this harassment was in response their expressed political views. Political harassment was equally likely with both Republicans and Democrats.
To summarize the Pew Research Center data, a small percentage (18%) of Americans claim to be victims of the more sever types of harassment, that harassment most often (58% of the time) is posted to social media, and most commonly (35%) relates to the harassed person’s political views.
The video "The Use of Technology to Stalk" highlights how technology may be used in more severe forms of cyberstalking. This 15-minute training video was designed to enhance awareness among professionals working with stalking victims of how stalkers use a vast array of technologies available today.
Most commonly offered advice for victims of on-line harassment goes something like this: Never respond to the harasser, document everything, file complaints with the Internet Service Provider and with the police. While this is reasonable advice, let’s look at a few other things that we might do.
First try to identify the reasons you have become a target for on-line harassment. If you are being harassed on-line, you probably have some kind of an on-line presence. Are you posting comments on-line that others might consider inappropriate, offensive, or harassment from you? Yes, you certainly have a right to express an opinion about controversial topics on-line, but others have a right to respond; and controversial topics often lead to heated discussions, some of which may get out of hand. If you are involved in an on-line debate that is getting out of hand, stop posting and commenting yourself, and let the situation cool down a bit.
Avoid making public accusations about the person(s) whom you believe to be harassing you. If you are right, this just feeds the cyberstalker and keeps him/her interested in you (never respond to a harasser). If you are wrong you may find yourself facing a lawsuit for libel and defamation. Generally speaking, your best course of action when dealing with cyberstalkers is to block their ability to contact you, and limit their ability to gather information about you (i.e. employ good personal OPSEC).
On most social media sites, you can block other users from contacting you or accessing your on-line posts. You can also set e-mail filters to block e-mail from specific addresses or domains, and to filter out messages containing specific content (such as profanity). On your cell-phone / smartphone you can block text messages and calls from specific numbers. Blocking works when you know who is harassing you. Filtering works when you want to avoid specific content. Whitelisting is another option where you set your accounts to accept messages only from people that you have specifically approved.
Most social media platforms have simple steps that you can take to block another user who is bothering you. Here are just a few examples:
On-line Safety Tips
Practice Individual OPSEC and Personal Security on a daily basis. Incorporating good security practices into your life can protect you from on-line harassment as well as mitigating threats that you may face from other sources.
While all of the above applies to your personal social media accounts and personal communications, the question arises: Do public officials have the right to block users who insult them or post scathing comments publicly? According to a ruling by at least one court, the answer is no.
An interesting August 2017, article on NextGov.Com discusses this question of
Government employees are facing an interesting dilemma. They're trying to meet citizen demands for more personal forms of engagement with government. Yet, when they adopt social media channels to do this, they open themselves up to public feedback and criticism.
As a public official, do they have the right to block users who insult them or post scathing comments publicly? Apparently not. In July, the American Civil Liberties Union asked Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin to stop blocking people from following his social media accounts; Michigan state government accounts were reported to have blocked more than 800 Twitter handles, including @POTUS; and the El Paso Police Department's public affairs staff blocked users from the department’s Twitter and Facebook accounts.
This culminated recently when a federal court judge ruled against a Virginia official who banned a user from accessing her Facebook page. The results of this case pose serious consequences that could reach as far as the White House - a similar suit has been filed against President Donald Trump with regards to his personal Twitter @realDonaldTrump.
