What is cyberstalking?
Definition
Cyberstalking is stalking carried out online or through electronic communication: repeated, unwanted contact or monitoring that makes someone afraid, distressed or feel unsafe.
- Category
- Attacks
- Also called
- online stalking, cyber stalking
- Last updated
The US Department of Justice describes cyberstalking as both an everyday term for a broad range of conduct and a legal term, and says it is commonly understood to mean stalking that happens online. There isn't one uniform definition in the US, but federal and state definitions usually share the same elements: unwanted contact, a repeated course of conduct, and the target's fear or serious emotional distress.
The federal law is 18 U.S.C. § 2261A, which covers stalking through the internet, by phone or by mail. It requires a course of conduct, which the statute defines as a pattern of two or more acts showing continuity.
In practice it looks like a person who keeps messaging you from new accounts after you've blocked them, posts about you in public, tracks your location or logs into your accounts. The person behind it can be an ex or a stranger.
What makes it dangerous is the information the stalker can find. Your home address and your relatives' names are often a few searches away, because people-search sites collect them in one place.
Cyberstalking vs. related terms
- Doxxing is publishing someone's private details. It can be part of cyberstalking, but it can also be a one-off.
- Cyber abuse is a wider term for harm online, which includes cyberstalking.
- Swatting is a fake emergency call sent to someone's address and can follow a stalker finding it.
How to protect yourself
- 1
Save evidence
Keep screenshots, messages, emails and the dates and times. Don't delete the originals, even if they're upsetting.
- 2
Report it
Report threats or fear for your safety to local police. If a crime happened online, you can also file a report with the FBI at ic3.gov. Report accounts to the platform too.
- 3
Lock down your accounts
Change passwords, turn on two-step verification, and check sign-in activity and connected devices. A stalker who knows you may guess recovery answers.
- 4
Remove the details a stalker would use
Take your address, phone number and workplace off public profiles and ask people-search sites to remove your listing. Serus finds where your address and phone number are listed and removes them.
- 5
Check for tracking
Look for location sharing, unknown apps and trackers on your phone and car. If you think a device is compromised, get help from a domestic violence or victim advocate before changing anything that could alert them.
See where your personal data is exposed
Serus finds it on data brokers and people-search sites and removes it.
Frequently asked
Is cyberstalking illegal?
It can be. US federal law (18 U.S.C. § 2261A) covers stalking through the internet and electronic communication, and states have their own laws. What counts depends on the pattern of conduct and where you live, so talk to police or a lawyer about a specific case.
What is the difference between cyberstalking and cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying usually describes harassment between peers, often young people. Cyberstalking is a repeated pattern that makes the target afraid for their safety. They overlap.
What should I do if I'm being cyberstalked?
Save evidence, stop replying, report to the platform and to police if you feel threatened, and secure your accounts. Victim support lines can help you plan.
Can a cyberstalker find my home address?
Often yes, through public records and people-search sites that list addresses and relatives. Removing those listings makes it harder.
Sources
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