What is cyber abuse?
Definition
Cyber abuse is using the internet to send, post or share content that harms someone's physical or mental health, such as threats, harassment, stalking or sustained hate.
- Category
- Attacks
- Also called
- online abuse, adult cyber abuse
- Last updated
Cyber abuse covers a range of behavior carried out through messages, posts, comments, images and accounts. Australia's eSafety Commissioner defines adult cyber abuse as the internet being used to send, post or share content that is harmful to the physical or mental health of someone who is 18 or older. It lists examples including being harassed or stalked online, being threatened with violence and being repeatedly attacked with online hate. Doxxing, publishing someone's private details to target them, is one of the forms it names.
A narrower legal meaning in Australia
In everyday use, "cyber abuse" can describe any online harassment. In Australian law the term is narrower. eSafety says "adult cyber abuse" is reserved for the most severely abusive material that has likely been posted with the intention of causing a person serious harm. That is the bar eSafety applies when it decides whether it can order content taken down. Abuse that falls short of it can still be reported to the platform, and other laws may apply.
What it looks like
A person gets a stream of threatening messages from accounts that keep reappearing after each block. Someone posts a former partner's address and workplace under a thread calling for people to "go and find them". Fake profiles are set up to impersonate someone and damage their reputation. In each case the harm lands on the person's safety, work and mental health, not only on their screen.
Cyber abuse vs. related terms
- Cyberbullying is the term eSafety uses for online abuse of children and young people.
- Cyberstalking is repeated, unwanted tracking or contact online, and can be one part of cyber abuse.
- Doxxing is publishing personal details, and often goes along with harassment.
Laws and reporting routes differ by country, so check the rules where you live.
How to protect yourself
- 1
Save evidence before you block
Take screenshots showing the account name, date and content, and keep links and messages. You may need them for a platform report or the police.
- 2
Report it to the platform
Use the report tools on the app or site where it happened. Serious or repeated abuse can also be reported to local police or, in Australia, to eSafety.
- 3
Lock down your accounts
Switch social profiles to private, limit who can message or tag you, and turn on two-step verification so an abuser can't take over your accounts.
- 4
Make your home address and phone number harder to find
Abusers often escalate once they have your contact details. Serus finds where your address and phone number are listed and removes them.
- 5
Talk to someone you trust
Tell a friend, family member or a support service. You don't have to deal with it alone.
See where your personal data is exposed
Serus finds it on data brokers and people-search sites and removes it.
Frequently asked
What counts as cyber abuse?
Under eSafety's definition, content sent, posted or shared online that harms someone's physical or mental health, such as online harassment, stalking, threats of violence or repeated hate. Only the most severe material meets the legal test for adult cyber abuse in Australia.
What is the difference between cyber abuse and cyberbullying?
eSafety uses cyberbullying for online abuse of children and young people, and adult cyber abuse for people aged 18 or older.
Is cyber abuse a crime?
It can be. Threats, stalking and harassment are offences in many places, but the rules depend on the country and on what was done. Contact local police or a legal adviser about a specific case.
Sources
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