Last Updated: March 6th, 2023
Cyberstalking is defined as online stalking of a person irrespective of gender using online technologies to harass or threaten a person. Social media networking and technological advancements have made it simpler for malicious actors to follow and torment their targets. Online stalkers can acquire information and scare victims without actually meeting their targets thanks to the confidentiality of the cyber world
Checking the device of your current or ex-partner is one of the most common forms of cyberstalking, as per the reports from Statistica, in December 2021, 17% of adults globally admitted to doing this crime. In the UK this form of cybercrime has lasted for more than two years for 40% of the people. Protect yourself against Identity Theft.
Today, we spend much of our time online. Consequently, this also applies to our love relationships, whether we are engaged, married, or just dating. Since everything developed so rapidly, we may not have taken all the necessary safety measures. Our love adventures, partnerships, and future opportunities all have an internet presence because we spend our lives digitally. Nevertheless, with the rise in cyberstalking, it is crucial to be cautious and take safeguards when engaging in romantic relationships online. You might need to take extra precautions to safeguard yourself if you are going on dates as well as using internet services for that purpose.
Cybersecurity tips for small business
We must establish the habits required for internet safety. Our lives are now publicly displayed online, making us more exposed than ever. We must attentively observe how we behave online since, depending on the activity, we may be putting our safety in danger. Because of the anonymity afforded by the internet, every one of us is more vulnerable to online harassment. The victim is intended to feel embarrassed, helpless, or degraded by the cyberstalker. Cyberstalkers may exhibit erratic, mental health issues, or compulsive online conduct.
Make sure the person you are connected with is engaged in rehabilitation and a program if they have obsessive behavior problems. If not, you might want to take extra precautions to safeguard yourself since you might be more open to being cyberstalked. Cyberstalking has the potential to become addictive, therefore it is doubtful that the stalker will give up the practice voluntarily.
Preventative and protective measures are the most beneficial to take. Online limits and healthy habits must be formed in the same way that we have established limits in face-to-face social interactions. Typically, it requires the offender “hitting bottom” before they modify their behavior. This can entail losing their career, their marriage, or experiencing serious legal or financial issues.
Recognizing cyberstalking activity (Examples of Cyberstalking)
A survey conducted in January 2020 found that 44% of web users had experienced online abuse in some way. Particularly, 28% of respondents reported experiencing severe internet harassment, such as intimidation and actual threats. In addition, 77% of victims reported being targeted or abused on Facebook.
Cyberstalkers employ a range of strategies to manipulate, belittle, and terrify their targets, including:
- Inappropriate social media criticism of a target’s postings
- Sending obscenely graphic texts, emails, or texts that contain threats
- Using the victim’s name without their permission in posts
- Fake victim accounts on social networking sites
- Internet accounts and gadgets being hacked or taken over
- Even after being asked to stop, the offender continues to shower the victim with texts
- Email, instant chat applications, texts, spyware planted on a gadget, and even GPS trackers implanted in the victim’s car can all be used for stalking. Search engines, chat forums, blogs, and social networking sites like Facebook, Insta, Twitter, and LinkedIn are used by criminals to study their victims.
These platforms give stalkers the ability to locate their target in the reality and gather private data about them to be used against them.
How to avoid being stalked online
To figure out what data a stalker might learn about you digitally, try Googling yourself. You might well be shocked at how simple it is to obtain private data from the internet, such as a mobile number, place of employment, or residential address. When you include the data gathered from the social media accounts of your relatives or friends, the target’s portfolio grows even more.
In addition to being aware of cyberstalking behavior, people should avoid needless internet exposure and initiate appropriate steps to safeguard their physical and electronic wellness, such as:
- Along with all online accounts, examine and modify the passcode.
- Set up tight privacy controls on social networking sites.
- Disable any calendars or schedules that are publicly accessible.
- Don’t share too much information online with those who aren’t your close cousins or family members.
- Examine friend lists and unfriend or ban any strange people.
- When sharing pictures online, disable the location services information since the stalker could be able to track you down because of it.
- Avoid using the Facebook check-in feature Safeguard yourself from virus assaults and network eavesdropping by using a security program and VPN
- Don’t give people you meet online, in discussion forums, on social media, or on gaming platforms your names, contact details, residential address, or place of employment if you aren’t obliged to.
- Block users and inform the social networking site about them
- If a website on the internet offers to make a passcode for you. Embrace it. Traceable passwords are significantly more likely to be generated by us than by an algorithm.
- Accept connection requests only from persons you have met.
- When you do not recognize the sender of a personal message on a social networking site, do not reply.
- Facebook privacy settings can be changed to prevent anybody other than acquaintances from posting to your page.
- Anyone who behaves suspiciously on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram can be quickly blocked.
- Don’t disclose needless identification data regarding yourself or specifics about your surroundings on any social networking site.
By using Bitdefender’s Digital Identity Theft protection feature, you can keep an eye on the digital trail you take while browsing the internet. You may quickly evaluate news sources by using subcategories to group publicly available information like your identity, birthdate, email account, contact information, jobs, schooling, and photographs. Users have the option to examine the information and delete it as necessary. While not every cyberstalking entails serious online bullying, individuals may nonetheless suffer from a variety of both physical and psychological side effects that disturb life and mental health. Most cyberstalkers are acquainted with their target in some way. Sometimes the stalker is an ex-boyfriend, ex-girlfriend, ex-partner, or possibly a coworker.