Cyber Harassment

Overview of Cyber Harassment cases

The use of digital technology has become an integral part of our lives. Any technology can be used for constructive or destructive purposes. Misuse of information and communication technology is an important ingredient of Cyber Crime.

Among many offensive acts in cyberspace, online abuse/ harassment is a common phenomenon that directly or indirectly affects cyberspace users of diverse age groups.

Cyber Harassment is defined as a repeated, unsolicited, hostile behaviour by a person through cyberspace with a intent to terrify, intimidate, humiliate, threaten, harass or stalk someone.

Any harassment caused through electronic media is considered to have a similar impact as traditional offence of harassment. It can be done through various means of ICT as depicted.

Categories of Cyber Harassment

Based on the severity of Online Harassment and the modus operandi, the Department of Justice (DOJ) of USA and ACPO (Association of Chief Police Officers) in the UK and other international agencies have broadly classified Cyber Harassment into 10 categories, as shown.

Cyber Bullying

Cyberbullying is an act of sending, posting or sharing negative, harmful, false or demeaning content regarding others. Sharing personal or private information which could cause embarrassment or humiliation to others too falls under the ambit of Cyberbullying. It takes place through digital devices such as cell phones, computers, and tablets via services such as SMS, texts, Apps, social media platforms, online forumsand gaming where people can view, participate or share content.

Modus operandi used:

• Posting nasty or humiliating content or comments about an individual online
• Publishing an embarrassing or demeaning photo or video
• Creating a fake profile of another individual
• Online threats provoking an individual to harm/kill himself or hurt someone else
• Triggering religious, racial, regional, ethnic or political vitriol online by posting hate comments or content
• Using other’s identity online to ask for or post personal or fake, demeaning, embarrassing information about someone
• Repeatedly harming a player’s character, asking for monetary exchange, ganging up on a player or using personal information to make direct threats
• Posting online stories, pictures, jokes, or cartoons that are intended to embarrass or humiliate others.

Hacking someone’s e-mail, other social media accounts and/or sending/posting embarrassing content whilst pretending to be the victim whose account has been hacked. Table 1 below shows the various means, motives and targets of Cyberbullying.

Cyber Teasing

Cyber teasing is an attitude, a mindset, a pattern of behaviour and/or actions that are construed as an insult and an act of humiliation to the target. Generally, it is the harassment of women by strangers in public places, streets and public transport but when a similar crime occurs using means of ICT then it is called Cyber Teasing.

Modus operandi used:

• Sending, sharing, posting vulgar/defamatory/ embarrassing/ harmful/ false messages or information via the below means:
• Social Media (Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter etc.)
• SMS (text messages from the cellular network)
• Instant Message Services (WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instant Message etc.)
• E-mail

Cyber Stalking

Cyberstalking is the usage of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to stalk, control, manipulate or habitually threaten a minor, an adult or a business group. Cyberstalking is both an online assailant tactic and typology of psychopathological ICT users. Cyberstalking includes direct or implied threats of physical harm, habitual surveillance and gathering information to manipulate and control a target. Table 3 describes the various means of ICT, motives behind their usage and the various targets.

Modus operandi used:

• Leaving harassing or threatening messages in the guestbook, on the victim’s website, social media profile, or blog.
• Sending inappropriate electronic greeting cards to the victim
• Posting personal advertisements in the victim’s name
• Creating websites, profiles, or other accounts that contain messages to threaten or harass the victim or creating circumstances as if the victim created a particular website that contains provocative or pornographic photographs
• Hate speech, i.e. the language that denigrates, insults, threatens or targets an individual based on their identity and other traits (such as sexual orientation or disability or religion etc.)
• Accessing the victim’s e-mail or social media accounts to find the victim’s personal information, read e-mails and messages, or change passwords
• Impersonating the victim’s online identity to harm reputation or relationships.
• Monitoring the victim’s movements using GPS, tracking apps or spyware
• Ordering goods or services: Ordering items or subscribe to magazines in the victim’s name. These often involve subscriptions to pornography or ordering sex toys and having them delivered to the victim’s workplace

Cyber Defamation

Cyber defamation is the act of publishing defamatory content using electronic devices and the internet. If someone publishes some defamatory statement and/or sends e-mails containing defamatory content to other people to defame the victim then this would be considered as an act of cyber defamation. Table 4 describes the various means of ICT, motives behind their usage and the various targets.

Modus operandi used:

• Publishing/posting derogatory remarks against individual(s)/organization(s) on websites.
• Publishing/posting derogatory remarks againstindividual/ organization on social media/ networking.
• Spreading false information against individual/organization through e-mails.

Impact of Cyber Defamation:

• Loss of reputation of individual/organization
• Loss of business in case organization is defamed

Identity Theft

Identity theft is the act of using other’s Personal Identity information such as name, identification number, or credit card number, without their permission, to commit fraud. Table 5 lists the means of ICT, motives and general targets.

Modus operandi used:

• Phishing
• Skimming
• Data Breach
• Phone scams

Catfishing

Catfishing is a type of deceptive activity where a person creates a fake identity on a social network account, usually targeting a specific victim for abuse, deception, fraud and various other gains. Table 6 lists the means of ICT, motives and general targets.

Modus operandi used:

• Harassing someone by creating a fake social media profile in the name of others or to impersonate someone else.
• Catfishing is often employed for romance scams on dating websites.
• Catfishing may be used for financial gain, to compromise a victim in some way, or simply as a form of trolling or wish fulfilment.

Doxing

Doxing is the process of retrieving, hacking and publishing other people’s information such as names, addresses or phone numbers and/or credit/debit card details. Doxing may be targeted toward a specific person or an organization. Table 7 lists the means of ICT, motives and general targets.

Modus operandi used:

• Collecting publicly available information and compiling it as a dossier and publishing it online. Social engineering techniques can be used to collect information.
• Publishing someone’s personal information such as phone number, e-mail id, credit card information etc. publicly.
• Hacking someone’s system or account, to steal important information and publish the same online.

Swatting

Swatting refers to a harassment technique most often perpetrated by members of the online gaming community. Online gamers make a hoax call, wherein they dial authorities and give them some false information diverting the police and emergency service response team to another person’s address. Table 8 lists the means of ICT, motives and general targets.

Modus operandi used:

Swatters generally do this by making phone calls to emergency numbers like 100 and falsely reporting a violent emergency, such as a shooting or hostage-like situation.

Cyber Trolling

Cyber trolling is a deliberate act of making random unsolicited and/or controversial comments on various internet forums with the intent to provoke an emotional response from the readers to engage them in a fight or argument which may be just for amusement or for other specific gains. Now that almost anyone can comment on a status update, reply to a tweet, converse in a community thread or send an anonymous question, trolling is everywhere that people interact. Table 9 lists the means of ICT, motives and general targets.

Modus operandi used:

• YouTube video Comments: People troll through comments on YouTube videos.
• Comments on Blogs particularly on some popular blog and/or news sites. Trolls include acts like cursing, name-calling etc.
• E-mail: There are lots of trolls who actively spend time and energy to write horrible e-mail messages/comments in response to people they disagree with, feel offended by, or just to get a thrill for no significant reason at all.
• Social Networking websites - Tweets, Retweets, comments, posts are a few of the activities. 

Revenge Porn

Revenge porn or revenge pornography is the distribution of sexually explicit images or videos of individuals to bring disgrace and damage their reputation. The sexually explicit images or videos may be made by a partner of an intimate relationship with or without the knowledge and consent of the subject. Table 10 lists the means of ICT, motives and general targets.

Modus operandi used:

The possession of the material may be used by the perpetrators to blackmail the subjects into performing other sex acts or to coerce them into continuing a relationship or to punish them for ending the relationship or to threaten them. 

Source : Bureau of Police Research & Development, New Delhi