Stalking: What It Is and How to Prevent It

Stalking is not a new phenomenon; the first anti-stalking law was passed in 1990 in California, which later spread across the United States and ultimately became a federal offense in 1996. In Spain, the first stalking conviction occurred in 2016.

But what is stalking really? Let's take a look.

What is stalking?

Stalking, or harassment, is the term used to refer to the disorder that drives a person to spy on another, for example, by following them on the street. However, with the advent of social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram... this offense has evolved into cyberstalking.

The person who exhibits this type of behavior is known as a stalker, a term that began to be used to describe individuals who stalked celebrities and were considered obsessive individuals.

With the advent of the internet, this offense has worsened because it's much easier to obtain information about people. There are still parts of the world where it's not exactly considered a crime, although the problem becomes concerning when the stalker sends hundreds of messages to their victim, uses instant messaging services to stalk someone frequently, or is concerned about knowing their whereabouts at all times, showing up unexpectedly, among other behaviors.

What is considered stalking?

For the legal context, stalking is considered:

• Monitoring, pursuing, or seeking the physical proximity of the harassed person: this includes surveillance through electronic devices, GPS, or video surveillance cameras.

• Establishing or attempting to establish contact with the person through any means of communication or through third parties.

• Misusing their personal data to: purchase products, goods, or services in their name, or even having third parties contact them.

• Threatening their freedom or their property, or the freedom or property of someone close to the victim.

  Cyberstalking: Be careful with the traces you leave on the internet

Stalking is no joke, and cyberstalking even less so. It's becoming increasingly easy to find personal information about someone through social media. Sometimes, we're not aware of it, but we provide too many clues and leave too much data on the internet that would be better left private.El stalking no es ninguna broma y el cyberstalking menos. 

For example, it's not the same to just reveal your first name as revealing both your first and last names. Mentioning what you do as opposed to where you work. Sharing the city you live in compared to the specific area you live in... It may seem harmless, but anyone who truly wants to learn about you, no matter how little information they have, will know how to make the most of it.

Thus, it is important to carefully select the information we provide and to whom we make it visible (remember that your social media accounts can now be private).

Furthermore, we cannot forget the cyberattacks carried out in the context of stalking to obtain information or personal data of a person. Therefore, it is important to consider:

• Passwords that are used. These should have a high level of security and should be difficult to hack. You can check the security level of your password at the following link. Remember, sometimes a very long password without many strange characters can be more effective than one filled with numbers, capital letters, and symbols.

• Two-factor authentication (2FA) or multi-factor authentication (MFA).

• Use anti-malware solutions like endpoints or firewalls. These will help you prevent ransomware, trojans, and even phishing.

• Don't forget to delete or set to private those social profiles that you no longer use or that are purely personal if you have other accounts where you are trying to establish a presence as an influencer, bookstagrammer, YouTuber, etc.

• Consider the people around you; they can also be the target of stalkers trying to track your movements. In this case, awareness is essential.

  Myself and the entire ESED team recommend that you take cybersecurity measures to protect yourself against any type of attack, including stalking. It's really difficult to grasp how vast the internet is and the amount of personal data we have on it. Filling out a form, posting the location of a photo on Instagram, making a payment, doing online shopping... All of this is information that exists on the internet and that you need to protect.

  Do you think you have a cybersecurity issue? We're here to help you address it. You can contact us at the following link.