CSC 379 SUM2008:Week 5, Group 3

Cyberstalking

What Is Cyberstalking

Cyberstalking is use of the internet in order to stalk someone.

With the recently buildup of social networks, webcameras, and other means of online communications, Cyberstalking was become a serious issue. These stalkers begin by using search engines or social networks to find a person. Once they have accomplished that this stalker creates an obession at looking at thier victims information. Many times cyberstalking escalates even further to where cyberstalkers will try to trace thier victims IP address to find thier home and/or work place.

Soical Networks

Social networks are a huge part of many peoples lives today. Such networks as Facebook and MySpace, just to name two giants, have around 100 millions users each and are still growing. These social networks provide many people with entertainment and ways to keep in touch with friends,however; these sites are also gateways for cyberstalkers to find victims.

• MySpace and Cyberstalkers

MySpace is a huge social network that started in August of 2003. On MySpace users can post pictures, videos, and put information in an "About Me" section. While this seems standard of any socal networking site, MySpace has numerous account of cyberstalking. To be able to create an account of MySpace a user has to be atleast 14 years old. Thankfully, anyone whose age is set from 14-15 has thier profile automatically set to private. These teens have become under srutiny for the racey pictures they are putting on thier profiles. Recently there have even been television commericals warning teens to be cognasient of what they put on thier profiles.

Cyberstalking has become big news to MySpace users. As comscore has released an article saying that MySpaces audience continues to shift towards an older demographic. Although many of these older users are harmless, the threat of pedophiles still exitsts. Many teens post personal information and pictures nievly thinking that only thier friends are going to see them. Besides these adults gaining and possibly abusing MySpace, there is also an abundancy of younger users providing an incorrect, older age in order to gain access to MySpace. This sets the stage for cyberstalking of young children. Wired recently published an article dicussing how myspace is having to deal with over 29,000 sex offenders accessing its site.'

Young children are not always the target of cyberstalking, Wired also posted an article discussing how a hacker took control of a internet celebrities MySpace account and demanded sexual pictures in return for the account. There have also been instances where users find themsevles being physically stalked by people who find them on MySpace. This stalking is very serious as it can lead other serve crimes.

• Facebook and Cyberstalkers

Provide a general overview of cyberstalking as it occurs today. Discuss recent instances and analyze the ethics. What ethical considerations are raised by tools that facilitate cyber-stalking? Should threats of violence through cyberstalking be considered the same as in-person threats or threats communicated through traditional means?

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberstalking
• http://ethics.csc.ncsu.edu/privacy/cyberstalking/
• http://brief-treatment.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/5/3/279