What is cyberstalking or cyberstalking?

Definition and the Key to a Credible Threat

Cyberstalking or cyberstalking is one of the most serious and frightening forms of digital harassment.

It is defined as the repeated use of communication technology to pursue, monitor and harass a person, causing them to have a reasonable and credible fear for their physical safety or that of their family.

It is the digital version of traditional stalking, but amplified by technology.

Unlike other forms of cyberbullying (such as dissing or general harassment), cyberstalking seeks not only to humiliate, but to control and terrorize the victim.

The key defining component is the implicit or explicit threat of real-world violence.

The stalker's message is: "I'm watching you," "I know where you are," and "I can hurt you."

Tactics of the Cyber Stalker

The cyberstalker's tactics go far beyond insults. They use technology to invade the victim's life:

Monitoring and Surveillance: The stalker obsessively tracks all of the victim's online activity (social networks, geolocation of photos) to find out where they are, who they are with and what they are doing.

Direct Threats: Sending threatening messages of physical violence, sexual or death ("I'm coming to your house", "I'll wait for you at the school exit").

Doxing: Collecting and publishing the victim's private information (address, phone number, parents' place of work) to encourage others to harass the victim (doxing) or to show the victim that they know where to find them.

Impersonation: Not to humiliate, but to harm.

For example, creating a fake profile of the victim on a dating website for strangers to contact her, or using her identity to threaten others and get her into trouble.

Use of Spyware: In extreme cases (often in gender-based violence), the stalker installs spyware on the victim's devices to read her messages and activate her camera or microphone.

Profile of the Aggressor and Legal Consequences

Cyberstalking among minors is usually the escalation of severe bullying, but in adults, it is strongly linked to ex-partners and gender violence. It is a way to continue control and abuse after a breakup.

Legally, cyberstalking is a serious crime in most countries (categorized as "stalking" or stalking).

To be considered a crime, it generally must be shown that the conduct is repeated, that it seriou