The term ?cyber stalking? refers to the practice of harassing victims by means of the Internet, using various modes of contact such as e-mail, chat rooms, newsgroups, and the World Wide Web. Most often, given the vast distances that the Internet spans, this behavi

Given the ability of individuals to ?mask? their identity when using the Internet, linking the harassment to one particular individual may prove difficult, providing law enforcement with a challenge if prosecution should become an option. Programs that mask ones IP (Internet Protocol) address and anonymous remailers are merely two examples that hinder the identification of the digital location from which communications originate. This is important when considering that many statutes require that the threat be real. Lisa Rosier, of the Queensland Police Service states: ?If a person is making these threats from the US, then there is little chance that the threat can be carried out? (The Australian, 1998). Rosier also points out that the psychological torment may still be very real, even in the absence of a distinct physical threat. One of the things that investigators may have in their favor is that such ?pure? cyber stalking, that which occurs entirely on the Internet, is rare (Casey, 1999) and as such will cross the virtual and extend into the physical.

The subsequent effects of this behavior on the victim include distinct psychological impairments and behavior change that brought about the loss of the victim's home and job. While the offender may never have intended for the victim to come to physical harm, the presence of the threat was always real, and the possibility that this harm came through a third party was ever present. Despite issues relating to her personal safety, the psychological effects of this harassment are unmistakable.

or will never manifest itself in the physical sense but this does not mean that the pursuit is any less distressing. There are a wide variety of means by which individuals may seek out and harass individuals even though they may not share the same geographic borders, and this may present a range of physical, emotional, and psychological consequences to the victim.

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