Cyberstalking, the Net's 'hidden horror,' likely to rise

Cyberstalking, the Net's 'hidden horror,' likely to rise - Technology - International Herald Tribune: "The term "cyberstalking" has by now found its way into dozens of state legislatures, police reports and talk-show lineups, joining other unsavory byproducts of the Internet age."

"The Suffolk County district attorney's office also charges that Valentine gained accessed to the woman's personal profile on the dating site Match.com, sending electronic "winks" and other communications to 70 men on the site. At least two showed up at her home.

About 45 U.S. states have laws covering cyberstalking. And the new U.S. law, included in the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act, updates telephone harassment law to include computer communications.

Some civil liberties advocates have complained about what they see as the overly broad language of the law's update, which prohibits not just anonymous communications intended to threaten, abuse and harass but also those intended to "annoy."

This term might characterize a wide range of anonymous Internet banter that falls far short of cyberstalking. Others, though, have argued that such banter naturally would be protected by the First Amendment and that only cyberstalkers have anything to fear. That is, of course, if they can be found.

According to Hitchcock, the U.S. cyberstalking legislation can provide needed leverage in pursuing what are often complicated cases. Perpetrator and victim might reside in different states, for instance, and the evidence might be in the hands of Internet companies all over the country, or the world. The law also gives the FBI and other law enforcement agencies greater purview over cyberstalking.

Using a Web site usually involves leaving tracks in the form of an IP address, which can be traced to an Internet service provider and, perhaps, the computer of a stalker. Under most circumstances, a subpoena or a search warrant is required to obtain that information from an online service, so filing a police report is crucial. After that, contacting an organization like WiredSafety.org or Working to Halt Online Abuse can help. They work with victims and law enforcers to help move cases forward."