Cyberstalking

THE TERM cyberstalking is generally considered to refer to the act of harassing or threatening an individual through the use of the internet and electronic or computer communications. The most commonly employed communication method used in the commission of this act is e-mail. However, there is a growing belief that instant messaging is seeing an increased use in cyber stalking in the early 2000s. For a victim to prove cyberstalking, she must be capable of proving that the messages were threatening and inflicted fear upon her life.

If the message is such that a reasonably prudent person would not believe that the sender was, in fact, threatening the victim, then there is no case for alleging cyberstalking. Distinguishing between the presence of a threatening message and ...