Cyberstalking: Portrait of a Facebook Stalker
Cyberstalkers are not always sexual predators and do not all look like criminals. In fact, in person- they may appear to be just like you and I, but make no mistake: cyberstalkers are driven by obsession, jealousy, manipulation, power, and a slew of other harmful characteristics.
If you’re a member of Facebook, you’ve probably heard the term “Facebook stalking.” It’s a phrase often used in jest and refers to checking another member’s profile to read their wall and status updates, find out who they are friends with, view their personal photographs, retrieve school and employer information, and more. We often hear about individuals “Facebook stalking” their ex-boyfriends/girlfriends, but as innocent as it may seem- electronic harassment can pose some seriously dangerous consequences if not addressed early.
Facebook stalking has become an alarming, growing trend among teenagers. Teenage harassers post messages on their victim’s walls, comment on their photographs, and continually attempt to make contact to the point of obsession. They may even reach out to the victim’s online friends to learn more details about the victim’s life, like who they are dating and where they are located at any given time. This behavior is especially prevalent among teens that were previously romantically involved. Cyberstalking can easily develop into face-to-face stalking, so parents need to be on the lookout for warning signs.
Here are some tips to protect you or your child from becoming a victim of Facebook stalking:
1. Avoid sharing passwords. One way teens prove their commitment to each other is by sharing password information with one another, and this is never a good idea. Passwords should be unique and at least 6 characters long. They should also be modified on a regular basis.
2. Check your privacy settings. Protect yourself by keeping your profile and wall private.
3. Do not accept friend requests from anybody you don’t know. Cyberstalkers can easily create fake profiles. If you do recognize the name, be sure to check with that friend or family member offline to confirm that they own an account before accepting the request.
4. Review your friend list on a monthly basis. Check to make sure you recognize everyone you are currently associated with. If you see any unfamiliar accounts, remove them as friends.
5. Avoid oversharing. Do not post your contact information, school name, birth date or the names of family members on your profile. The less information you put out there, the better. Ask your friends and family members to avoid posting personal information about you as well.
6. Limit the amount of personal photographs you post. Cyberstalkers prey on victims who post personal photos. Photographs that reveal private information (like the name of your school or hometown) put you at greater risk.
7. Change your chat options. You can block friends from chatting with you by modifying your chat settings. Visit Facebook’s Help Centre for more information.
Facebook stalking is a form of cyberstalking, or electronic harassment. Victims are protected by both state and federal laws. If you or your child is a victim of cyberstalking, contact the National Center for Victims of Crime or call their hotline at 1.800.FYI.CALL.
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I have been a victim of cyberstalking on facebook now for over a year. I discovered it in May. What bothers me the most is they went into my room and installed a program so they could watch me on my webcam for 4 full months. Not one person in this country has supported me. The advisor I told at the school said I was delusional and imagined it and told my doctor that. So now it's jeopardized my healthcare. I even had a computer forensics guy get evidence of the stalking from my computer and he did. I am very alone in this country. I have had the worst 9 months of my life. I have been treated horribly by the students and the slander they say about me on a daily basis on facebook, over 100 of them now, I can't speak about it to the doctors because they say I am psychotic since I couldn't prove it at the time I discovered it as they smart, they never used my real name. I knew it was related to me because I recognized some of the things they announced on facebook I did in my room alone and conversations I had with friends they posted word for word. They have said every name in the book and are trying to get me to give up my dream profession by telling me I'm too stupid to be in the program yet 5 schools accepted me that were accredited so obviously it was no accident. They are true sociopaths and sadly, normal people see what stalkers like this are doing and stay clear away, but in this program, they actually join them. Most of the stuff they write I haven't a clue where it comes from and most of it is incoherent making me think that they were under the influence of something when they wrote it. The school knows and they have no intention of doing anything about it accept telling me to wait out a year to have a whole new class. I already lost a year due to these sociopaths, they need to wait out a year, not me. I've been told to go to the media but I fear if I do that I will get expelled along with the stalkers. I need support for this and help and I need to understand why people would follow the lead of the sick sociopaths over myself, a victim. Not one student told me about what was going on. I couldn't even speak about it with the school. I'm mentally well and I have gone to therapy twice and she verified I was handling this very well. She only added I needed to go to the media. I do not have any intention of going to the media. I just want this to stop. These people are sick and they need to be told by the school this behaviour isn't tolerated and if caught they will be expelled. Is that so much to ask of the school?
Thank you for the informative article. I ceased my use of Facebook due to harassment and stalking incidents, privacy and security concerns, hacking, phishing, and Facebook's "hidden" policy of owning all content uploaded to its site by users. Facebook is unsafe and unethical.
hello,
my 17 year old daughter is a victim of cyberspace stalking for a couple of years now but we have little knowledge to go about stopping this person. this person has stolen personal photographs of my daughter and posted elsewhere on different sites pretending to be my daughter...please, if you could help us track this person down, we appreciate that very much. please email me for any suggestions. we are constantly in fear and do not know when this stalker will strike next...this person maybe very well be someone from my fb friends' list but i dont know who, which frustrates me greatly. thank you.
-Nalee
Hi Nalee.
I'm sorry your daughter is going through this. Somebody from our team will contact you shortly.
Best,
SafetyWeb Writer