Law Reform: Cyber Stalking

On this page:

What is cyberstalking?
How to spot cyberstalking
What to do if you suspect you are being cyberstalked
How to reduce the risk of cyberstalking
Real stories

Cyber stalking is an action intentionally directed at a person on one or more occasions. A cyber stalking action can be:

* by contacting a person by use of any technology
* threatening an act of violence against a person or their property, or
* intimidating/harassing them.

Published in:Salem Press Encyclopedia of Science, 2023, Research Starters

Victims of cyberstalking, data theft, and other “serious invasions of privacy” have been left unprotected by current privacy laws, legal analysts have warned as the more than two-year review of the Privacy Act 1988 entered a new phase.

What is cyberstalking?
How is cyberstalking experienced by victim survivors?
What makes cyberstalking difficult to regulate?
How is cyberstalking regulated?

Legal responses to abuse via technology fact sheet

Stalking, cyberstalking and cyberbullying

Australia's COVID-19 social distancing and isolation measures have led to significant changes in the way we live, triggering
dramatic lifestyle changes for families and individuals across the country. One of the most notable changes is our
increased dependence on the internet to maintain social and economic connections. This research report, based on a
survey of 1,229 adults, provides a unique snapshot of the impact COVID-19 restrictions have had on Australians’ online
behaviours and attitudes. It also highlights some of the challenges relating to online safety and digital competency we face
in becoming more dependent on online interactions

Regulation Impact Statement

Access through Gale Database

Stalking is one of the main types of abusive behaviour facilitated by technology. The purpose of the current study was twofold: to identify the challenges of cyberstalking investigations and prosecutions in Australia and determine how best to investigate these types of offences. A qualitative analysis of four years of interviews, focus groups and participant observations with police departments provides an overview of the cyberstalking investigative process. The findings map out the process from the initial report of the incident to the preparation of the prosecution brief. This analysis positions cyberstalking investigations as an interesting case study in the midst of increased scrutiny about the way that police investigate technology-facilitated abuse.

Though research examining cybercrime has surged in recent years, studies exploring perceptions concerning these phenomena have been scant. In fact, little is known regarding the extent to which individuals perceive cybercrime as serious, whether exposure to cybercrime terminology elicit similar perceptions of seriousness as behavioural descriptions of cybercrime, and the factors predicting perceptions of cybercrime seriousness.

Spaceless violence: Women’s experiences of technology-facilitated domestic violence in regional, rural and remote areas

What is adult cyber abuse?
What you can do
Find out more: including how eSafety can help and how to deal with the impacts

This research is based on a survey of more than 3,700 Australian adults aged 18 to 65 and covers the 12 month period to August 2019.

New research by the eSafety Commissioner has revealed 75 per cent of Australian adults have had at least one negative online experience in the past 12 months, an increase of 30 per cent compared to 2019.

Report prepared for:
Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts