![\"IBM](\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/IBM-and-Safe-Horizon-Partner-to-Address-CyberStalking.png\")
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By Dr. Amanda M. Stylianou<\/em> In today\u2019s world, businesses and individuals both express concerns over the ways in which technology affects their privacy. Businesses spend millions of dollars investing in online security, while individuals express concerns over social media privacy. However, there\u2019s another kind of privacy concern which impacts individuals across the nation \u2013 cyberstalking, or\u00a0<\/strong>technology-facilitated stalking<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Stalking is “a pattern of repeated and unwanted attention, harassment, contact, or any other course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear” (United States Department of Justice, 2016).<\/p>\n According to the Center for Disease and Control, 6.6 million people are stalked every year in the United States <\/strong>(CDC; Black et al. 2011). 1 in 6 women and 1 in 19 men experience stalking at some point in their lifetime (CDC; Black et al., 2011). For both female and male victims, stalking is most often committed by people they know<\/strong>.<\/p>\n In a recent Supplemental Victimization Survey (SVS) to the National Crime Victimization Survey, of those individuals that reported being stalked, 26.1 percent also reported experiencing some form of cyberstalking<\/strong> during the course of the incident (Baum, Catalano & Rand, 2009).<\/p>\n Cyberstalking is defined as \u201cthe use of the Internet, email, or other electronic communications to stalk, and generally refers to a pattern of threatening or malicious behaviors,\u201d involving a \u201ccredible threat to harm.\u201d National Conference of State Legislatures, \u201cState Cyberstalking and Cyberharassment Laws\u201d (Jan. 12, 2015).<\/p>\n Cyberstalking includes a variety of behaviors that involve repeated threats and\/or harassment, by the use of electronic or technological means that would make a reasonable person afraid or concerned for his\/her safety.<\/p>\n Common cyberstalking behaviors include:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n In a world of ever-changing technology, advocates in the field of crime and violence need to be prepared to support survivors of cyberstalking to increase their safety. In order to accomplish this, Safe Horizon<\/a> partnered with IBM\u2019s Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs<\/a> to train 36 Safe Horizon staff on Understanding and Protecting your Online Identity<\/em>.<\/p>\n The cyberstalking training, created by IBM and delivered by IBM Senior Managing Consultant for Security and Privacy Kevin Addington, focused on how to support survivors to identify potential technology risks and review online safety options. The cyberstalking training was provided through the IBM Impact Grant<\/a>s program, which deploys consulting expertise and software to support educational and not-for-profit organizations. The training was accompanied by the provision of concrete tools that will aid Safe Horizon staff in supporting clients to increase their internet and social media safety. The training was a major success and Safe Horizon found the specialized training allowed staff to find ways to better support clients, to identify their potential technology risks, and to develop safety plans to address those risks.<\/p>\n At Safe Horizon, we provide a range of services to support victims of stalking and cyberstalking. From our 24\/7 hotline<\/a> to our Family Court Programs<\/a> and Criminal Court Programs<\/a> to our Community Programs<\/a>, we offer a comprehensive continuum of care to assist victims in identifying safety plans and resources that will best support them in increasing their safety. Learn more about what we do to support victims of stalking<\/a>.<\/p>\n Thank you, IBM\u2019s Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs<\/a> team for your incredible expertise and guidance!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" How can we support survivors of cyberstalking? We’ve partnered with IBM to help identify technology risks and review online safety to help address this new form of stalking.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":{"id":4757,"alt_text":"IBM Safe Horizon 2017_Final","caption":"","description":"","media_type":"image","media_details":{"width":353,"height":299,"file":"2017\/09\/IBM-Safe-Horizon-2017_Final.jpg","sizes":{"thumbnail":{"file":"IBM-Safe-Horizon-2017_Final-150x150.jpg","width":150,"height":150,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/IBM-Safe-Horizon-2017_Final-150x150.jpg"},"medium":{"file":"IBM-Safe-Horizon-2017_Final-300x254.jpg","width":300,"height":254,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/IBM-Safe-Horizon-2017_Final-300x254.jpg"}},"image_meta":{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1","keywords":[]}},"post":4715,"source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/IBM-Safe-Horizon-2017_Final.jpg"},"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2015],"tags":[485,635],"class_list":["post-4715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-safe-blog","tag-cyberstalking","tag-technology-facilitated-stalking","issue-stalking","issue-victims-of-other-abuse"],"acf":{"page_header_title":"","page_header_image":false,"original_url":"","related_initiative_title":"Are you a victim of stalking?","related_initiative_link":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/get-help\/stalking\/","related_initiative_link_text":"Get help now","featured_posts":[{"ID":4213,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2017-03-31 15:18:15","post_date_gmt":"2017-03-31 15:18:15","post_content":"By Jill Reyes<\/em>\r\nMarch 31, 2017<\/em>\r\n\r\nSafe Horizon leads efforts to increase stalking awareness for teens and young adults. This includes online stalking behaviors, known as cyberstalking. Abusers can often use modern technology and social networking to intimidate and coerce their partners. To address growing concerns around cyberstalking for teens and young adults, we partnered with the Bronx Borough President\u2019s Office, Bronx District Attorney\u2019s Office, Bronx Family Justice Center, and New York City Department of Probation (DOP) to create the following stalking infographic that was supported with funding through the Department of Justice (DOJ):\r\n\r\n
\nSeptember 15, 2017<\/em><\/p>\n\n
![\"IBM](\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/IBM-Logo.jpg\"){kind=logo}
<\/p>\n![\"Stalking](\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Stalking-Information-for-Social-Media-and-Electronics-Users-410x1024.png\")
\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nThe stalking infographic is a simple way to help teens and young adults identify controlling or negative behavior in the context of technology and social media. It proposes steps they can take if they feel that these stalking behaviors apply to their situation.\r\nInformation for Stalking<\/h1>\r\nWhile some people are stalked by strangers, most stalking is committed by someone known to the victim, such as an intimate partner or acquaintance. Stalking can get more serious over time and can happen to anyone regardless of race, culture, gender identity, age, or sexual orientation.\r\n
Help for Stalking<\/h1>\r\nStalking is against the law in every state, however, the crime of stalking is defined differently in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and on tribal and federal lands.\r\n\r\nIf you, or a teen you know, is experiencing any of the harmful behaviors mentioned in the stalking infographic, please read or share the following infographic. You can also use and share our Tech Safety<\/a> page as a guide, visit our domestic violence page<\/a>, stalking page<\/a>, or call one of our Hotlines<\/a>.\r\n\r\n ","post_title":"Stalking Information for Social Media and Electronics Users","post_excerpt":"This stalking information for technology and social media users including teens and young adults can help identify controlling or negative behaviors in relationships.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"stalking-information-social-media-electronics","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-06-10 13:06:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-06-10 17:06:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"http:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/?p=4213","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":3707,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2017-01-01 14:36:15","post_date_gmt":"2017-01-01 14:36:15","post_content":"By Dr. Amanda Stylianou<\/em>\r\nJanuary 1, 2017<\/em>\r\n\r\nTo raise awareness and speak about stalking, I will discuss the impact stalking has on individuals and the resources and tools available to support survivors.\r\n
Natalia\u2019s Story<\/h1>\r\n*Natalia was experiencing stalking from her son\u2019s father when she came to the Safe Horizon Bronx Family Court Program to obtain an order of protection.\r\n\r\n\u201cMy son\u2019s father he\u2019s been really aggressive\u2026He\u2019s been coming to my house, he\u2019s been having me followed. My boyfriend and I, he\u2019s been following us. He\u2019s making threats\u2026.I\u2019m being threatened and he\u2019s threatening my boyfriend and contacting my family and things like that. It\u2019s just uncalled for and I don\u2019t feel safe\u2026He has threatened to murder me\u2026He has threatened to, to also cause harm to my family if I guess we go against whatever he is trying to do\u2026He has taken my son out of state and refused to bring him back until he was ready\u2026I\u2019m a woman. I cannot protect myself against a man, you know, but so far or but so much. And it\u2019s just something I don\u2019t think I should have to worry about\u2026He makes references that, you know, like he sees me, he sees me doing this, or he sees me at this place\u2026and it\u2019s just like the only way you could be at all these places, that you know, I\u2019m here is if you\u2019re following me\u2026It\u2019s just enough is enough.\u201d<\/strong><\/em>\r\n\r\nAnd at Safe Horizon, we hear stories like Natalia\u2019s every day of the year.\r\n
Learn More About Stalking<\/h1>\r\nStalking is a pattern of repeated and unwanted attention, harassment, contact, or any other course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear. Stalking can include a vast array of behaviors including:\r\n
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