Cyberstalking

Cyberstalking (or online enabled stalking) is a serious crime, with the perpetrator using the internet (sometimes via messaging apps or games consoles) to harass, intimidate or frighten their victim with persistent and unwanted electronic communications or surveillance.

Technology has provided stalkers with a way to continue their campaigns online with a certain degree of anonymity. A readily accessible, very affordable and easily usable set of 'tools' are available to stalking perpetrators around the clock, including:

  • Hacking and tracking software
  • Vehicle or possession tracking devices

Cyberstalking may include texts, emails, phone calls (including voicemail messages), social media posts and comments. When these communications display fixation and obsession, this may be considered cyberstalking.

It is not advisable to block any online communication between the victim and the stalker; instead you are advised to mute it. This is because:

  • This communication can be used as evidence in a police investigation and subsequent charge
  • Blocking a perpetrator may increase the risk of them trying to seek the victim out in person
  • Blocking may also elevate the perpetrator's level of anger
  • Victims often feel better prepared knowing what their perpetrator is doing and where they are

The Sussex stalking charity Veritas Justice have produced information on how to mute conversations, and to keep yourself safe online in other ways which you can read below. 

WhatsApp (Google Android)

To mute individual or group notifications:

  1. Open the chosen WhatsApp chat, then tap the subject.
  2. Tap Mute notifications.
  3. Select the length of time you'd like to mute notifications for.

Optionally, uncheck Show notifications to stop notifications from being shown in your notifications screen.

  1. Tap OK.

To unmute individual or group notifications:

  1. Open the chosen WhatsApp chat, then tap the subject.
  2. Tap Mute notifications.

To change your last seen privacy settings:

  1. Launch WhatsApp from your Home screen or the app drawer.
  2. Tap on the More options button (it looks like three dots aligned vertically and is in the top right-hand corner of your screen).
  3. Tap on Settings.
  4. Tap on Account.
  5. Tap on Privacy.
  6. Tap on Last seen.
  7. Choose your preferred option.
  • Everyone: All WhatsApp users get Last seen updates about you.
  • My contacts: Only people on your contacts list get Last seen updates.
  • Nobody: Other WhatsApp users will no longer get any Last seen updates about you.

Note: selecting the Nobody option removes your ability to see other users’ last seen information.

WhatsApp (Apple iOS)

To mute individual or group notifications:

  1. Find the WhatsApp chat you wish to mute, then tap and hold it.
  2. In the list of options, tap Mute.
  3. Select the length of time you'd like to mute notifications for.

To unmute individual or group notifications:

  1. Find the WhatsApp chat you wish to mute, then tap and hold it.
  2. Tap Unmute.

Alternatively, you can open any chat and tap on the name of the individual or group at the top of the screen. This will allow you to customise many features of that particular chat, including the muting facility.

Change your last seen privacy settings:

  1. Launch WhatsApp from your Home screen.
  2. Tap on the Settings tab (it's the little gear icon in the bottom right corner of your screen).
  3. Tap on the Account button (it's the blue box with the white key in the middle).
  4. Tap on the Privacy
  5. Tap on the Status This will show you a menu with three options.
  • Everyone (This means anyone on WhatsApp can see it, this is the default setting)
  • My Contacts (This means only people you have in your contacts)
  • Nobody (This means no one can see this info)
  1. Tap on your preferred option.
  2. Tap on the back button (it's the blue chevron in the top left corner with the word "Privacy" next to it).

Houseparty

With millions of downloads during the coronavirus pandemic, Houseparty has become a very popular video socialising app. However, from a privacy perspective, there’s one obvious issue that you may want to take note of before organising games and parties: they are open to any of your friends and friends of friends unless you lock the “room” where you’re playing. Here’s how you can secure that feature:

Google Android

To lock all rooms that you enter by default:

  1. Tap on Account.
  2. Tap on Settings.
  3. Tap the Private Mode toggle to on.

Apple iOS

  1. Once in a chat, tap the three vertical dots at the bottom left of the screen.
  2. Tap the padlock to Lock the Room.

Instagram

To mute someone on Instagram open the profile that you want to mute and then:

  1. Tap the three dot icon on an Android phone, or the gear icon on iPhone
  2. Select 'Mute'
  3. Choose from one of four options:
  • Mute posts
  • Mute story
  • Mute posts and story
  • Cancel

Snapchat

Snapchat recently introduced a feature “Quick Add”, which you can see displayed at the bottom of your chat list. It includes a list of suggested people to add based on mutual friendships.

If you have your Quick Add setting enabled, you'll show up in Quick Add for your friends' friends.

You can turn this setting off by tapping:

  1. Profile
  2. Settings
  3. Select 'See Me in Quick Add'

Facebook Messenger

In addition to text messaging, Messenger can be used for voice and video calling but, unlike WhatsApp, it currently doesn’t use end-to-end encryption. To find the security setting in Messenger for both Google Android and Apple iOS, follow the steps below:

  1. Login to Facebook Messenger.
  2. Check the top right corner of Facebook Messenger.
  3. Tap your profile picture.
  4. Scroll down until you get to Account Settings.
  5. Tap Account Settings.
  6. You now have access to Security within Account Settings.

Securing your email account

There are many different email vendors on the web, but they all offer many features to secure your account. In a situation where email accounts have previously been shared, it is a good idea to create a new account to ensure that an ex-partner no longer has access to your emails. An email account is where we hold all of our important business: shopping confirmations, banking messages and, most importantly, password reset requests. With unauthorised access to an email account, a password can be reset for almost all other accounts.

Two ways in which you can greatly reduce the risk of your email account being compromised are having a strong password and using two factor authentication. Here’s how to do these:

To create a strong password:

The easiest way to remember a password is to make it out of something memorable, but to make it strong it has to be written in a way that no one else will guess. To do this, come up with your own formula to replace some of the letters with numbers. Here is an example of letters that are replaced by numbers based on their similarity:

  • A = 4
  • E = 3
  • I = 1
  • O = 0
  • S = 5
  • Z = 2

Then think of a place and date that has meaning to you. We're using the example 'Amsterdam 26th March 1996'

To turn that memory into a secure password:

  • Remove all the spaces and convert the date: Amsterdam260396
  • Apply the above formula: Am5t3rd4m260396

If you want an extra secure password you can add in a symbol too: $Am5t3rd4m260396

App stores also offer password generator apps, should you wish to create random, strong passwords. However, you will need a way of remembering these once generated!

Privacy online

Your web browsing history holds valuable information, not only for the commercial businesses that thrive on targeted sales but also for anyone who has unauthorised access to an account linked to your web browser. If someone has access to your browser history (or, indeed, your device), they will be able to see exactly what you have been looking at on the web.

The easiest way to avoid this is to search the web in a private browsing mode. This will allow you to browse the web without your browser saving any browsing history, cookies and passwords. Alternatively, you can use a privacy extension to your web browser which will ensure that you browse privately all of the time.

To search the web privately using Microsoft Edge in Windows:

  1. Open Microsoft Edge
  2. Click on the 3 horizontal dots in the top right of the window
  3. Click on New InPrivate window
  4. Start browsing privately

To search the web privately using Microsoft Edge on a mobile (Android or iOS):

  1. Open Microsoft Edge
  2. Tap on the 3 horizontal dots in the bottom right of the screen
  3. Tap on New InPrivate tab
  4. Start browsing privately

To search the web privately using Google Chrome in Windows or Mac OS:

  1. Open Google Chrome
  2. Click on the 3 vertical dots in the top right of the window
  3. Click on New incognito window
  4. Start browsing privately

Tip: Keyboard shortcuts to open an incognito window: Ctrl-Shift-N (Windows) or Command/cmd-Shift-N (Mac)

To search the web privately using Google Chrome on a mobile (Android or iOS):

  1. Open Google Chrome
  2. Tap on the tabs icon in the top right of the screen
  3. Tap on the 3 vertical dots in the top right of the screen
  4. Tap on New Incognito Tab
  5. Start browsing privately

To search the web privately using Mozilla Firefox in Windows or Mac OS:

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox
  2. Click on the 3 horizontal lines in the top right of the window
  3. Click on New Private Window
  4. Start browsing privately

Tip: Keyboard shortcuts to open an new private window: Ctrl-Shift-P (Windows) or Command/cmd-Shift-P (Mac)

To search the web privately using Mozilla Firefox on a mobile (Android or iOS):

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox
  2. Tap on the tabs icon in the top right of the screen
  3. Tap on the mask icon in the bottom right of the screen
  4. Tap on the plus sign (+) in the bottom left of the screen to open a new tab
  5. Start browsing privately

To search the web privately using Apple Safari in Mac OS:

  1. Open Safari from the dock
  2. Click on File in the top left of the Safari menu bar
  3. Select New Private Window from the list
  4. Start browsing privately

Tip: Keyboard shortcut to open a new private window: Command/cmd-Shift-N

To search the web privately using Apple Safari on an iOS mobile:

  1. Open the Safari app
  2. Tap on the tabs icon in the bottom right of the screen
  3. Tap on Private in the bottom left of the screen
  4. Tap on the plus sign (+) in the bottom centre of the screen to open a new tab
  5. Start browsing privately

Two factor authenticaion (2FA)

Many apps and websites have 2FA built in as an option, but you have to find it in the settings. Except for online banking, it is rarely switched on as a default, but it is extremely important to use this feature wherever it is offered.

Some banks use card readers or PIN pads to allow account holders to log in to their accounts, others text or phone a code to their registered device.

With other services, such as email accounts or subscriptions, you may be given the option to either receive a text code or use an authentication app. These apps are available to download for free from the app stores, and the most popular are Google Authenticator and Microsoft Authenticator. However, there are many others and you may be asked to use a particular one.

To set up 2FA using the Google Authenticator app:

Before setting a 2FA, you need to do the following:

  • Download Google Authenticator from the Google Play Store (Google Android) or the App Store (Apple iOS).
  • Make sure you have a barcode or QR scanner installed on your phone. If you don't have one already Google Authenticator will ask you to download one.
  • Check you have a Google account set up 
  • Make sure you've visited the site or app that is requesting the 2FA setup.

 

Obsessive fixated stalkers may also exploit gaming platforms to pass messages via your own accounts or those of your children. Veritas Justice have produced some guides to preventing these unwanted messages on several types of console below.

XBox

Obsessive, fixated stalkers may exploit gaming platforms to pass messages to you and your children. you can reduce those repeated and unwanted messages.

  1. Settings
  2. All Settings
  3. Account
  4. If relevant: Family > choose the  account you want to adjust.
  5. Privacy & Online safety. This will allow you to select who can see you or your child when you are online
  • No-one
  • Friends
  • Everyone

You can also choose whether to communicate by voice and/or by text

Nintendo Switch

  1. Open the Parental Controls app
  2. Press "Set Parental Controls"
  3. "Set Restriction level"
  4. "Custom"
  5. and then adjust the "Communication with others" option

Playstation

  1. Settings
  2. Parental Controls/Family Management 
  3. Family Management.
  4. Select the user who's settings you want to adjust
  5. Applications/Devices/Network Features
  6. Under 'Network Features' you can stop them communicating with, or viewing content created by, other players.


Support

Support and advice is available to you whether you report to the Police or not. There are specialist stalking and cyberstalking services that you can contact and get advice, information and support from. You may also be able to get your mobile devices checked by a qualified expert at an ethical IT intervention, where you can receive information and guidance on how to best secure yourself online. Use the search bar at the top of this page to find a service near to you.

The South East Regional Organised Crime Unit also has some additional advice and information which you may find helpful. 

You can also find more information around stalking on our stalking page.

 

 

 

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