Being abused online? Here’s what you should know and do

Being abused online? Here’s what you should know and do

The internet needs one of those big red panic buttons. you know them On top of that they say things like STOP, EJECT or simply NO. As great as it is, it does have a dark side, and that’s in the form of online abuse. Wouldn’t it be great to just push a button to turn that shit off?

For some of us it is slightly hurtful. For others it is truly life threatening. We block people on social media and do our best to report abuse wherever we can. But it never feels enough. Teenage suicides, mass shootings – there’s a whole new world of violence generated by online abuse these days.

According to recent data from Statista, nearly half of adults experience some level of personal online harassment.

A Pew Research Center survey also shows that people have experienced more serious encounters, such as physical threats, sexual harassment and stalking, since the pandemic began.

“Women, people of color, LGBTQ+ people and people who identify with other marginalized or threatened groups” are particularly at risk for more extreme forms of online abuse Jeje Mohamed, free speech and digital safety program manager at Pen America, a nonprofit organization advocates for freedom of speech, wrote me in an e-mail.

There’s a massive call to get tech companies to do more, but it’s really up to us. Here are the tools, rules, and best ways to protect ourselves and those we love.

What is online harassment?

Playfully teasing your friends on Facebook or Twitter is mild and, for most of us, an extension of what we all experience in our real-life relationships. But when things get beyond inside jokes and scathing remarks, the damage can be permanent, devastating, and even deadly.

The Pew Research Center breaks down online harassment into six specific types:

· Offensive attribution

· Targeted fix

· Stalking

· Physical threats

· Long-term harassment

· Sexual harassment

Each can be incredibly painful in its own way, but some are more serious than others, like stalking, physical threats, and sexual harassment—the more serious the situation, the more options you have to deal with it.

What to do if you’re being bullied online

How you deal with the bad guys that pop up online from time to time is entirely up to you, but there are a few guidelines worth knowing.

Mute, block, report

I get called all sorts of names and it often hurts my feelings. That’s certainly part of the job, but it never gets easier.

One of my longtime (former) social media fans lashed out over vaccines during the pandemic (I was publicly in favour), and the threats from him and his squad went well beyond anything a thick skin could unravel.

“Dealing with online abuse can be very overwhelming and emotionally draining,” says Mohamed, “and it’s normal to feel that way. My first advice is to breathe and know that you have different options and things you can do.”

The first options here include mute, block, and report. While these types of trolls can – and will – continue to post just about any derogatory nonsense, those first few steps tend to take the wind out of their sails.

· Muting someone means you’ll never hear from them again.

· Blocking often doubles as a mute while preventing them from seeing your activity.

· To take it a step further, reporting abusers on the platform can help get them banned, their posts removed or even banned.

The big dogs here like Twitter and Facebook say they take these issues seriously and are investigating reports of abuse, but the systems aren’t perfect and often come to a verdict.

stalking and physical threats

It’s one thing to be insulted; it’s different to be confronted with someone on a sidewalk in your hometown or a hallway in your school. When something spills over into your real life, it’s time to take stricter action.

Threats of physical violence and stalking can result in criminal charges. In these cases, it’s important to document all contacts, including screenshots of social media posts, direct messages, emails, and text messages to your phone.

Understand the legitimacy of the threat, including whether the individual has access to personal information such as their home or work location, phone number, or email address.

Note if the harassment crossed platforms — ie, the person who first interacted with you on Twitter but has since started emailing you, calling you, or even sending you mail or packages.

After documenting all the information, go to the police. Local law enforcement agencies are usually able to deal with cybercrime issues, including threats of physical violence. Even if you don’t, recording the abuse is the first step to more meaningful action.

You can also contact a lawyer to help you if you want to make a claim for damages. It is important to know that if you are not feeling comfortable at home or at work, you should report the abuse as soon as possible.

Sexual Harassment on the Internet

This is considered one of the most serious forms of online abuse and can take many forms.

Laws against “revenge porn” — the posting of private photos by an ex or someone with access to photos or videos they shouldn’t be seeing — are already in place in almost every state. The few states without these specific laws still offer citizens protections through different privacy laws from state to state.

If the crime involves a child who is either exposed to sexual content or a victim of exploitation, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children provides an Internet tip hotline where you can provide information about the incident.

An ounce of prevention

You know the saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Undoubtedly, it’s easier to prevent something in the first place than to repair the damage after it’s happened. Here are three top tips:

are you a target

How locked down is your online world? If you don’t use complex and unique passwords, it’s high time to close the hatches. Use a password manager app like 1Password or LastPass.

Both have free and premium versions that create safer ways to protect your accounts. Also, check your privacy settings and use two-factor authentication. This goes even further to protect your accounts from being caught by nefarious creeps.

Google itself

You might be shocked when you find out what information, such as Your home address, your children’s school address, legal documents and much more are available to anyone searching for your name online.

I set up a Google Alert using my first and last name as keywords. Whenever Google’s web crawlers find something, it sends me an alert. The information is often wrong.

Data brokers often scrape any information – from public records to online competitions you entered – and sell it to the highest bidder. You can contact any company and try to remove it, but who has time for that?

If you can afford it, it’s best to use a service like DeleteMe ($130/year for an individual) or Kanary ($90/year for an individual or $130/year for a family) to connect to data broker sites instead review and delete any information they have on you.

Be careful what you post

Most online abuse happens on social media, so you need to be careful about what you post. Most of us learned this the hard way. Post about supporting one politician over another and you might get the wrath of the “other side”. Try to have a mature discussion on social media and have multiple sides weighed. Good luck with it.

How public do you make your private information without realizing it? Conduct a social media security check at least once a year. Most apps like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter Just do this in the settings menu.

This includes making sure you know who can see your posts – are they all fully public? Change your settings to make sure you don’t share things you want to keep between friends with the whole world. When you post pictures, make sure you don’t tag your exact location or see your address or your child’s school in the background.

Know that you are not alone

Most importantly, you are not alone in dealing with online abuse. There’s no shame in asking for help, and there are now more places to turn to than ever.

PEN America’s Online Harassment Handbook contains a wealth of resources for individuals expecting or experiencing online abuse, covering all of these topics and more.

Even the President of the United States is trying to curb online abuse. Last June, the White House created a task force to deal with mounting incidents and create more safe havens to seek help when you need it most.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Here’s how to stop being abused online

Source