wiredsafety

1. wiredsafety.org • The world’s largest online safety and help group, including: • WiredPatrol.org • WiredKids.org • Cyberlawenforcement.org • Provides education, awareness and one-to-one help when things go wrong online • Assists and trains law enforcement in cyber-investigations • All unpaid volunteers, and conducted entirely online • Run by cyberlawyer, Parry Aftab

2. WiredSafety.org’s Cyberstalking Study • Wired Safety helps thousands of cyberstalking and harassment victims • Its volunteers have been assisting in cybercrime and abuse investigation and prevention since 1995 • Little is known about cyberstalking and harassment generally • These statistics are based upon the cases reported to Wired Safety’s cyberstalking and harassment division and in their help channels during 2002

3. Cyberstalking and Harassment • It’s stalking or harassment that: • starts online and moves offline • starts offline and moves online • targets someone for harassment by others by posting messages online (like a sex ad) • starts online and stays online • targets your computer or passwords • uses your own identity to discredit or hurt you

4. Cyberstalking and Harassment • Online stalking and harassment is growing • The greatest risk is offline threats • Protecting your personal information is key • We give lots of personal information away, without knowing it • Online stalking and harassment can easily turn into offline stalking and harassment • Many law enforcement officials don’t know how to investigate an online crime

5. Reasons for Cyberstalking • Romantic/thwarted, rejected or jilted lover, or imagined lover (real or virtual) • Revenge for real or imagined acts or omissions • Hate, bigotry and intolerance • Teaching someone a lesson/enforcing the cyber-rules (real or imagined) • Random attacks – the victim being in the wrong place at the wrong time • Cyber-celebrity stalkings and harassment – mirrors offline celebrity stalking and harassment

6. Groups most at risk • Women • especially battered and abused women • when they are identified as women online • Minors • especially from other minors they know • Newbies – people who are new to the Net • Minority group members • Special ability groups

7. Cyberstalking Victim Statistics(2002)

8. A Typical Victim • Male or female depending on the age group • in 18 – 32 year olds, females predominate • Often involved in a real or imagined romantic or sexual relationship • May be a member of a targeted minority group or special group • ethnic, racial and religious minorities • gays and lesbians • cancer or other patients with serious illnesses • adoptive or birth parents • political or special interest group

9. Cyberstalking Victim Statistics (2002)

10. Methods Used • E-mail and instant messaging direct threats • Identity theft • Building websites targeting the victim • Posting false profiles • Hacking • Posting fake sex ads • Pasting the victim’s image onto a pornographic image or posting real sexual images of the victim online • Provoking attacks against the victim by others • Posing as the victim and attacking others • Contacting victim’s family or employer • Posting in a newsgroup or on a bulletin board, online • Following the victim from site to site

11. Cyberstalking Statistics (2002)

12. Cyberstalking Statistics (2002)

13. Trends • More women are cyberstalking others than ever before • In some age groups, men are the greatest percentage of victims • More children are cyberstalking each other • Certain ethnic groups are being targeted, especially from the Middle East • More people are cyberdating, and becoming victims of cyberstalking when things don’t work out • Technology, such as trojan horses, are used more often than before...giving the cyberstalkers a remote control to your own computer! • Law enforcement is taking action more often • Most states now have laws criminalizing cyberstalking and harassment, up from only 16 states in 1998

14. Cyberstalking Statistics(2001 – 2002)

15. Cyberstalking Victim Statistics (2002)

16. Cyberstalking Prevention • Don’t share personal information online • Don’t fill out profiles or include personal information on websites • Don’t use a gender specific or provocative screen name or e-mail address • Don’t flirt or start an argument online unless you are prepared for the consequences • Don’t share your password with anyone • When cyberdating, set up a special e-mail address • Use a good anti-virus program and update daily

17. When Bad Things Happen • Don’t reply to your cyberstalker • Save all communications on your computer • If there is any indication that they have your offline information, call the police! • If they threaten physical violence to you or your family, call the police! • Cyberstalking is a serious matter, take it seriously! • If your law enforcement agency needs help, have them contact WiredSafety.org

18. Forewarned is forearmed –Google Yourself! (and your kids) • Go to Google’s search engine, www.google.com • Type in your first and last name in “quotes” (for example “Parry Aftab”) • Type in your telephone address next (no spaces, using dashes one time and parentheses the next) • Type in your full street address, in “quotes” • Note all sites and URLs that contain your personal contact information • Contact those sites and ask them to remove your information