There's stalking, and then there's STALKING.

I have to admit, I only really got a facebook account to satisfy my... well, my gossipy tendencies. (Come to think of it, that’s the same reason I signed up for a friendster account.) One of my best friends, who lives in New Jersey, messaged me about a new guy he was semi-dating, and I, of course, had to know what he looked like. I told him to take a picture and send it to me, but he refused. (Actually, he went, “Are you freaking insane?”) He informed me, however, that the guy had a facebook account, and that I could check him out there. Before the day ended I was able to tell him that the guy was quite good looking, and that I was disappointed he was playing for the opposite team.

My friends and I always laugh about how our incessant curiosity about (ahem) such ‘persons of interest’ could probably qualify as stalking, but I suppose if that were true every person in the world with a crush would qualify as a stalker. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, “Although there is no universally accepted definition of cyberstalking, the term is used [in this report] to refer to the use of the internet, e-mail, or other electronic communications devices to stalk another person. Stalking generally involves harassing or threatening behavior that an individual engages in repeatedly, such as following a person, appearing at a person's home or place of business, making harassing phone calls, leaving written messages or objects, or vandalizing a person's property. Most stalking laws require that the perpetrator make a credible threat of violence against the victim; others include threats against the victim's immediate family; and still others require only that the alleged stalker's course of conduct constitute an implied threat. While some conduct involving annoying or menacing behavior might fall short of illegal stalking, such behavior may be a prelude to stalking and violence and should be treated seriously.”

Given that definition then, my checking out the facebook accounts of friends’ love interests is thankfully very far from stalking. If you are the victim of cyberstalking though, the U.S. Department of Justice advises:

• If you are receiving unwanted contact, make clear to that person that you would like him or her not to contact you again.
• Save all communications for evidence. Do not edit or alter them in any way. Also, keep a record of your contacts with Internet system administrators or law enforcement officials.
• You may want to consider blocking or filtering messages from the harasser. However, in some circumstances (such as threats of violence), it may be more appropriate to save the information and contact law enforcement authorities.
• If harassment continues after you have asked the person to stop, contact the harasser's Internet Service Provider (ISP). Most ISP's have clear policies prohibiting the use of their services to abuse another person.
  
• Contact your local police department and inform them of the situation in as much detail as possible.

I wonder, though, if the police force in our country is really ready or equipped to handle cases of cyberstalking.


[end, entry no. 4; pictures are from th09.deviantart.com, wries.deviantart.com and teefee.deviantart.com, respectively.]