Cyber911 Emergency
Cyberstalking and harassment FAQ
These are the most frequently asked questions we receive about cyberstalking and/or harassment.
We have more extensive information about cyberstalking and cyberharassment, as well as one-to-one help and a self-help interactive guide and tutorial.
Is cyberstalking illegal? What about cyberharassment?
The laws tend to lump the two types of cybercrimes together. For the purposes of this guide, other than when there is a legal distinction, both cyberstalking and harassment are discussed under the heading “cyberstalking.” While most states in the United States have various types of cyberstalking/harassment laws on the books, there is no U.S. federal cyberstalking/harassment law (except when children under 16 are involved and being targeted for sexual harassment). Many Western European countries have cyberstalking/harassment laws, but they are the exception rather than the rule. Few Asian countries have cyberstalking/harassment laws.
If I can’t file criminal charges against the cyberstalker/harasser, what can I do to them?
Often the victims of cyberstalking and cyberharassment are limited to civil litigation (suing the stalker or harassment) or reporting the cyberstalker/harasser to their ISP and trying to get their accounts revoked, or Web sites shutdown.