The world is becoming digital, and so is our daily life, and as technology advances, everyone is adopting such modern ways of life. Criminals are using modern technology to commit crimes in the same way.
You’ve probably heard of cyberbullying and cyberstalking, two types of common cybercrime. The majority of people believe they are the same thing, but they are not. So, how do the two terms differ from one another? We will look at their differences in detail in this post, so let’s get started.
Cyberbullying and Cyberstalking: What is the difference?
In reality, cyberstalking is a subset of cyberbullying; consider cyberstalking to be the first step or low-level crime, and cyberbullying to be the next step or high-level crime.
To begin, I discussed both terms separately to clarify things.
Cyberstalking
Cyberstalking is the use of email, the internet, or other electronic communications to stalk someone. It is an evil act in which an offender threatens someone, who could be an individual, a group, or an organization. It is a particularly dangerous type of cybercrime, with serious psychological consequences for the victim.
In most cases, stalkers commit such crimes in order to exert control over their victims. Despite the fact that you may have seen many cases where the stalker is a random stranger committing such a crime. As an example, consider a random fanatical admirer stalking a celebrity. However, cyberstalking is rarely carried out by a stranger, and is more often carried out by the stalker.
- Track the victim’s online and, in certain situations, offline actions
- Track the victim’s whereabouts and monitor them online or offline
- Irritate the victim;
- Humiliate, scare, manipulate, or blackmail the target
- May post fake information about them
- Obtain additional details about the victim to seize their identity
- Infect the victim’s machine with a virus
- Do other genuine crimes such as robbery or abuse?
CyberBullying
Cyberbullying is the use of digital technology to bully someone. It entails the use of texting, SMS, apps, various social media platforms, and games to communicate, contact, and exchange data with one another.
In this case, the offender uploads, sends and spreads disgusting, negative, false, or insulting information about another person.
They may reveal private information about that person, causing shame and humiliation. The person who commits such a crime enjoys the power that comes from shaming and insulting another person.
Some cyberbullying behaviors are strictly prohibited and illegal.
Cyberbullying is a major cyberharassment crime that involves a variety of harsh criminal acts, including:
- Recording any audio or video of someone in their private place without their consent
- Publishing and spreading that material without being in their knowledge
- Sextortion (threats to expose sexual images)
- Making inappropriate and abusive messages and phone calls
- Child Pornography
- Giving death threats
- Giving violent threats
- Sexting
This type of crime is most common among the young, particularly children. A study found that 37% of young people aged 12 to 17 have been bullied online. 30% have had it happen more than once.
Difference Between Cyberstalking and Cyberbullying
In cyberstalking, a person becomes obsessed with gathering as much information as possible involving minor to major details such as their birthdays, relationship status, age, education, and so on. They monitor the victim’s current activities, as well as their daily activities from time to time. And the primary goal is to stalk and harass, but no actual harm is done.
- Tracking down somebody’s private and personal data frightens them by messaging them dozens of times a day to let them realize you are monitoring them.
- “Crawling” on their social media profiles to discover their location so you can make an unwelcome appearance.
- Publishing about them constantly and without their approval are all examples of cyberstalking behaviors.
On the contrary, cyberbullying is a more direct form of bullying. The criminal maintains contact with the victim and speaks harshly and cruelly to them. Spreading rumors about someone can be embarrassing and shameful for the victim. In extreme cases, the person is blackmailed into revealing their personal, private data, and all of the data is revealed.
For example, if an individual contacts another individual through any platform, such as games, social media, or other apps, becomes friends, shares private images and information, and becomes intimate, and at some point, one individual begins blackmailing the other to expose all the data. In extreme cases, a person photographs someone’s private moments and posts them on the internet.
The goal is to cause harm, and the victim may even commit suicide as a result of severe psychological damage.
