What is Online Stalking?
The use of the internet and digital technology to monitor, harass, or intimidate a specific person, often escalating from online behavior to real-world threats.
Also known as: Cyberstalking
Online stalking uses the same data exposure that enables doxxing but with persistent, targeted harassment.
How Stalkers Gather Information
- Social media posts revealing location and routine
- Shared photo metadata containing GPS coordinates
- People search sites providing home addresses
- Tracking apps or spyware installed on shared devices
- Shared accounts (iCloud, Google, Find My Phone)
- Data brokers selling real-time location data
Protection Steps
- Audit shared accounts: Remove stalker from any shared services (iCloud, Google, Spotify, Netflix)
- Check for spyware: Scan devices with anti-malware tools
- Lock down social media: Make profiles private, disable location tagging
- Remove from data brokers: Opt out of people search sites
- Use a VPN: Prevent IP-based location tracking
- Change phone number: Get a new number from a privacy-focused provider
- Document everything: Screenshots with timestamps for law enforcement
Resources
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
- Cyber Civil Rights Initiative: cybercivilrights.org
- Safety Net project at NNEDV: techsafety.org
Related Terms
Doxxing
The malicious act of publicly revealing someone's private information — such as home address, phone number, or workplace — without their consent, often to enable harassment.
Location Services
A system that determines your device's location using GPS, WiFi, cell towers, and Bluetooth, often shared with apps and service providers.
Metadata
Data about data. In the context of communications, metadata includes information like who you contacted, when, for how long, and from where—everything except the actual content of your message. Metadata can reveal intimate details about your life even when content is encrypted.
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