TECHNO QUESTION OF THE WEEK

with Stacey Johnson

July 17, 1996

What is on-line harassment and what you can do about it

Today's tech question has to do with a series of discussion listincidents that were shared with me recently by a friend. They concern someone who is disrespectfully participating on her discussion list, what is coming to be a popular phenomenon as overall internet participation increases. The subscriber in question makes inflammatory comments about ongoing discussion, and has directed these comments on occasion to specific subscribers to the list, usually women. The bully. This person has been welcomed to unsubscribe if he continues to choose not to participate respectfully. The last I heard about the incident he said he would go to the "press" if he was taken off the list, and refused to "clean-up" his language.

This kind of situation is not uncommon and brings up all kinds of questions about the analogy of the "net" as a democratic, public, and free space, in which on-line decorum is very much at the forefront of debate. What exactly the terms of etiquette will be is still up for grabs. For today I'd like to zero in on one specific aspect of the debate. How does one deal with the invasion of privacy and harassment on-line? This is most certainly an important issue when inconsistencies, inequalities, and identity assumptions that we experience in the off-line world are being reproduced on-line in virtual worlds. Soooo, up my sleeve today are a few on-line "girrrilla" tactics for appropriately and strategically dealing with bullies, brutes, and windbags who are out-of-line on-line.

First, it is important to remember that there are different degrees of harassment on-line, and that critically challenging somebody's comments on a discussion list with all due respect does not necessarily qualify as harassment. However, launching critiques in a derogatory and mean-spirited manner, and posting offensive messages are most definitely examples of harassment. A comment doesn't have to be directed at an individual to be considered harassment, and can be the case of someone making inflammatory comments about subject matter relevant to a discussion list.

I have also heard about cases in which individuals have been followed around on-line from place to place in their repertoire of net surfing. You could call it virtual stalking, spying--but harshness of the terms aside, this is an outright invasion of privacy. If any of this has ever happened to you, or is happening to you, then listen up for how to deal:

1. Save any offensive postings and document a case history of the incident and/or incidents.
   
2. If you are being harassed by someone who subscribes to a commercial internet service provider, inform that person's internet service provider (ISP) about the user and the incidents. It is their responsibility to address out-of-line users to whom they sell their services and provide access to the net. This is a good strategy for dealing with people who solicit their wares on the net using it as their own personal advertising forum--these types are also referred to as "spammers." In terms of personal incidents of harassment, keeping an archive of postings can come in handy if you are ever asked to produce evidence.
   
3. If instances of harassment and the slinging of derogatory remarks are happening on a discussion list, bring this up with the list moderator. Better yet, bring it up publicly on the discussion list so other subscribers can hear what you've got to say. Undoubtedly they will already have been apprised of the situation if the messages are posted to the entire list. If the net is going to be talked about as being there for the purposes of engaging debate in a public forum then let's put the philosophy to the test and use it. When public debate is misunderstood as an opportunity to launch personal attacks, a line has to be drawn somewhere. It has been my experience on discussion lists that if somebody is acting out-of-line on-line, more often than not other subscribers who are offended will come forward to participate. However, there are those who just won't give up and require more drastic measures. And for that we need some bottom lines in cyberspace.

Above all, use the technology to your advantage. If it has been used to invade your privacy, then surely it can be used to fight back. On-line strategies are your best defense. Roberta Furger of PC World magazine reminds us that we can defend ourselves more easily on-line than off in such situations. By the way, the August (1996) issue of PC World features an "Internet Survival Guide" outlining what you can and cannot get away with on-line when it comes to privacy, copyright, and libel. Keep in mind that the legal case references and information are America specific. Nonetheless, it's worth checking out as a guide to resources available on-line and for strategies to direct fair play and use.

We're always interested in hearing what you've got to say here at the XX Files. If there are listeners who have experienced harassment and invasion of privacy on-line and you have something to share feel free to contact us. If you haven't...well, feel free to contact us anyway. By email you can find us at studioxx@odyssee.net. Afterall, these issues should be of concern to everyone using the internet.