English
EspañolWhat is cyberstalking?
Cyberstalking means misusing the internet or other technology to stalk and harass someone. A stalker may contact you by:
- email;
- social media sites;
- a messaging app; or
- through other online spaces/websites.
The person may do any of the following:
- post messages about you;
- spread rumors about you;
- harass your friends or family;
- recruit other people to harass you;
- impersonate you;
- share your personal information or pictures of you online to harass or scare you;
- use technology to find/track your location and to monitor what you do online or offline; and
- create fake images or recordings of you (“deepfakes”).
A stalker or harasser may also target your friends or family. This is a risk factor for the stalking getting worse. You can learn more about risk factors at the Stalking Prevention, Awareness, & Resource Center (SPARC) website.
Even if your state does not have a criminal law specifically against “cyberstalking,” that doesn’t mean it isn’t a crime. In most states, repeatedly contacting or harassing a person through the internet or other technology is still considered a crime under the state’s stalking or harassment laws. It’s important to know that even if you were originally okay with the person contacting you, it could still be illegal if you make it known that the contact is now unwanted. To read your state’s specific laws, you can go to our Crimes page and enter your state in the drop-down menu.
What is online harassment?
Online harassment is a pattern of behavior where someone tries to scare or hurt you using tech. It can happen through:
- email;
- messaging;
- social media;
- dating sites; and
- other platforms.
Abusers who commit online harassment often do it to make you feel unsafe, humiliated, scared, emotionally distressed, or to keep power and control over you. They may also be trying to:
- publicly embarrass you;
- sexually harass you;
- threaten you;
- dox you; and
- cyberbully, offend, or otherwise harass you.
What is doxing?
“Doxing” is when someone weaponizes your private or identifying information by collecting and publishing it. That person may be trying to scare, humiliate, blackmail you, or encourage others to harm you or sexually assault you. The information posted publicly could include your:
- name;
- address;
- phone number;
- email address;
- photos;
- finances;
- family members’ names;
- social media accounts; and
- other things.
An abuser who wants to dox you may already know a lot of this information about you. If not, s/he might look for your information online through search engines, social media sites, or even by hacking into devices or accounts. An abuser may reach out to your friends or family members pretending to be you or a friend of yours. This could allow them to get more information about you.
There may not be a law in your state that specifically identifies doxing as a crime. But this behavior may fall under your state’s stalking, harassment, or criminal threat laws. To see what laws in your state may protect you, visit our Crimes page and enter your state in the drop-down menu to see the laws related to harassment.
NNEDV’s Safety Net Project has two resources that can help if you have been doxed or are worried about it: Removing Sensitive Content from the internet and Password Safety.
How is online harassment different from cyberstalking?
Online harassment and cyberstalking look a lot alike. They also often happen at the same time. However, the laws covering each may differ.
Cyberstalking laws usually require proof of a few things. One is that the harassment made you feel scared that you or someone else was in immediate physical danger. Another is that the abuser knew or should have known it would make you feel that way.
Online harassment laws often don’t require proof that the abuser knew or should have known his/her actions would scare you. Instead, online harassment laws may require that:
- the abuser meant to annoy or alarm you, and possibly that s/he knew or should have known the actions would do that; and
- there was “no legitimate purpose” for his/her actions.
Both sets of laws usually require proof of a “course of conduct,” which means a pattern of incidents.
What is cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying is unwanted and aggressive behavior targeted at a specific person through the internet and other technology. A cyberbully may repeatedly send offensive, insulting, hurtful or threatening text messages to you. S/he may use social media to post rumors or share personal information about you.
Not all states have cyberbullying laws. Many laws that do exist only apply to students or minors since “bullying” is typically associated with children and teens. If you are being cyberbullied and your state doesn’t have a cyberbullying law, it’s possible that the your state’s stalking or harassment laws may apply.
One place you can find cyberbullying laws is on the Cyberbullying Research Center’s website. Another is at stopbullying.gov.
Can I get a restraining order based on cyberstalking or online harassment?
In many states, you can file for a restraining order against anyone who has stalked or harassed you regardless of your relationship with that person. Most states also include stalking as a reason to get a domestic violence restraining order and some include harassment as well. Please check the Restraining Orders page for your state to find out which restraining order may apply to your situation.
Another way to get a restraining order is from the criminal court if the stalker/harasser is arrested.
It can be helpful to keep track of any contact a stalker or harasser has with you by creating a log to document phone calls, drive-bys, messages, voicemails, or emails. Take screenshots of online harassment posts on social media and print them out. When printing harassing emails, print the header too, which has identifying information. Save original messages and recordings. The Stalking Prevention, Awareness, and Resource Center (SPARC) has a stalking incident log that you can use to record this information. And Safety Net, a project of the National Network to End Domestic Violence, has a sample cyberstalking incident log with tips on how to best document evidence of tech abuse.
With or without a restraining order, there are things you can do to try to increase your safety. Go to our Safety Tips for Stalking Victims page for more information.
What is cyber flashing?
Cyber flashing is when someone sends you an unwanted naked or sexual photo or video on the internet, through an app, or by text message. Most often, this takes the form of someone sending an unwanted picture of his/her genitals or exposing one’s genitals over live video. Cyber flashing can be done by someone you know or by a stranger. It can happen in lots of different situations - for example:
- on dating apps or websites;
- on social media;
- over text, WhatsApp, or other messaging apps;
- during a video call;
- over email; or
- through Airdrop or another app that allows someone to share files with people close by.1
Cyber flashing can be considered a form of online harassment and sexual harassment. In some cases, it may be part of a pattern of abuse designed to cause you emotional distress. A few states have specific laws that make it a crime or specifically state that it can be the reason to sue the abuser in civil court for money damages.
1 Information adapted from Rape Crisis England and Wales
Where can I get additional information?
Here are a couple of resources you may want to look into to get additional information:
- Safety Net is a project of the National Network to End Domestic Violence specializing in tech safety. Their Tech Safety website has resources for victims of tech abuse.
- The Stalking Prevention, Awareness, and Resource Center (SPARC) has information on their website about stalking. It also has safety tips and resources.
