CYBER BULLYING: A Major Cyber Crime

Cyber bullying is one of the major risks involved in social media. It takes place with the use of electronic technology with the intension of repeatedly harming or harassing the victim. It can be defined as ‘an aggressive intentional act or behaviour that is carried out by a single person or group of people over a victim who cannot defend himself’. Cyber bullies make use of devices and equipments such as cell phones and computers as well as communication tools like social media messages, emails, chats and websites. 

Cyber bullying involves posting rumours or gossips, cyber stalking or even publishing materials severely defaming and humiliating the victim exclusively through the internet platform. The harassment involves repeated threat, passing sexual remarks, bad labels or false accusations, posting of pictures without consent. It also includes hacking and vandalizing sites and disclosing victims’ personal data like real name, home address, and workplace so on. Most of these acts are done by the cyber bullies by creating a fake account, therefore leaves the cyber bully anonymous. It makes it difficult and sometimes impossible to trace the source.

Teenagers and young children spend more time on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter; therefore they are easy prey to cyber bullies. Cyber bullying even more harmful than physical stalking as it is a psychological abuse and there is no escape from it. The victim those who are cyber bullied have to go through a lot of adverse effects and consequences of cyber bullying that includes low self-esteem, increased suicidal attempts, isolations, varied emotional responses, fear, frustration, depression, anger and impulsive behaviour.  CYBERBULLICIDE is the term given to suicide that is indirectly or directly influenced by experience with online harassment.

Precautions that can help you stop cyber bullying before it starts

• Do not put up your personal information and images on the sites or at least check well before uploading anything.
• Report as soon as you smell a threat and ask for help.
• Block the bully and do not respond or forward cyber bullies messages.
• Review the terms and conditions sections that describes whether the content is appropriate or no.
• Do not share your personal information to someone whom you do not know.
• Protect your passwords and private information’s and set up privacy controls. Do not save your passwords for others to see it.
• Never open unidentified or unsolicited messages.
• Save the evidence to report against the bully.
• Keep your eyes and ears wide open to sense cyber bullying.

In order to stop cyber bullying, major states of India have laws enforced on this crime. Also law enforcement agencies have cyber crime units which give keen importance to cyber bulling. But awareness should come from a personal level. Think twice before you upload or share anything online.