Cyberstalking

Cyberstalking is when a person keeps constant track of you online in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable, worried or threatened.

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

Cyberstalking is the use of digital technology to track and harass someone. 

Cyberstalking behaviour can include:

• constantly checking in on someone and trying to get their attention even when they make it clear that they are not interested
• making repeated unwanted contact with someone by calling, emailing, texting, messaging, or asking inappropriate questions
• repeatedly sending, posting or sharing unwanted sexual requests, sexual or offensive content, abusive comments, or false accusations to or about someone
• monitoring someone’s movements using the location (GPS) technologies that are built into the operating systems of phones and fitness apps, or using tracking devices or spyware
• following or contacting someone across multiple online accounts and making it known they can’t hide 
• accessing or hacking someone’s online accounts to find their personal information, track their movements, read their emails or messages, or change their passwords to lock them out of their own accounts
• ‘gaslighting’ a person by changing their environment in small ways that are difficult to prove to others, such as using remotes to turn internet-connected devices on and off within their home.

Sometimes cyberstalking starts as over-enthusiastic interest in a person or an invasion of their privacy. But often the intentions are far worse right from the beginning – the person doing the cyberstalking may want to scare, humiliate, coerce or control someone, or harm their credibility or reputation.

Cyberstalking is often accompanied by offline stalking and it can lead to physical danger. Threats of sexual abuse or other forms of physical violence should be reported to the police.

Cyberstalking is often a type of tech-based abuse that is part of domestic and family violence and coercive control, but going offline does not fix the problem. Someone in an abusive relationship or who has left an abusive partner needs to be able to use digital technology, such as a mobile phone or computer, so they can find support and stay in touch with trusted friends and family. 

If you start receiving repeated unwanted and annoying messages or start feeling harassed, you may need to ask yourself if you are being cyberstalked. 

The person doing it can be:

• someone you don’t know 
• someone you have met, but you are not friends with 
• a friend, family member or carer
• a partner or ex-partner.

The following warning signs may indicate that you are being cyberstalked.

Someone doesn’t take NO for an answer

You have made it clear that you are not interested, don’t want to be contacted by someone or have simply ignored their messages. But this person doesn’t take no for an answer and keeps sending messages or trying to contact you.

Someone engages with every post you make

The same person’s name keeps popping up in your notifications all the time, on every service or site that you use. 

Someone tries to follow your family and friends

You have unfriended or unfollowed someone or have not accepted their requests, so they try to get inside your social network to monitor your social life and check where you are and what you are doing. 

Someone constantly asks where you are and what you are doing

Someone you know, such as a partner or ex-partner, constantly posts or sends messages that are harassing, threatening or demanding, such as ‘What are you doing?’, ‘Who are you with?’, ‘Where are you?’, 'If you don't get home soon I'm coming to find you.' They may also start contacting friends or family to check up on you.

Someone wants to rescue you

You are being threatened or receiving unwanted contact and someone steps in to offer advice and support, but they seem to know a lot about what is going on. Their intention is to separate you from your social circles, so they can come to ‘rescue’ you, making you grateful and trusting even though they are secretly the one who caused the problem.  

Cyberstalking is dangerous and can develop into physical abuse. Do not wait to report cyberstalking. If cyberstalking behavior or online abuse gets worse, there is a greater risk of emotional or physical harm. 

All Australian jurisdictions have laws dealing with cyberstalking. If you are in Australia and in immediate danger call the police on Triple Zero (000). Otherwise, you can contact your local police through the police assistance line (131 444). You can also contact 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) for advice and support.

Read our tips on how to get help from the police.

How eSafety can help

If content sent, posted or shared online is intended to harm the physical or mental health of the person targeted, it may meet the definition of adult cyber abuse. This could be the case if the person doing the cyberstalking keeps posting humiliating, abusive or intimidating comments about you, if they share your personal information online (doxing), if they threaten to harm you, or if they use a fake account to pretend to be you in order to harm your reputation or relationships.

Adult cyber abuse should be reported to the online service of platform. If the online service or platform doesn’t help, and the harmful content meets the definition of adult cyber abuse, eSafety can investigate and may be able to have it removed. 

If the person doing the cyberstalking shares or threatens to share nudes or other intimate images or videos of you without your consent, that is image-based abuse. You can report it to eSafety straight way and we will help have the image or video removed.

These are the steps you can take:

It is important to remember that if someone is cyberstalking you it is never your fault – they are the one doing the wrong thing. However, there are things you can do to help protect yourself from it.

Set strong passcodes and passwords 

Protect your personal identity information like your full name, home address, phone numbers, date of birth, email address, passwords and bank details. 

Turn off location services and restrict access to GPS data

You can use your account or device settings to control or restrict who has access to your location or GPS data.

Don’t give away location information by mistake

Avoid posting information that may allow others to work out where you are (like photos that show street signs) or where you go regularly (like the name of your workplace, gym or church), and don’t check into locations on your apps.

Set your online accounts to private

By adjusting your privacy settings, you can stay in control of who sees what you post or share online and who can contact you directly. 

Update your software

Regular software updates help reduce the risk of security exposure or information leaks.

This page offers general advice for adults experiencing cyberstalking. Tailored information is also available for kids, young people, parents and anyone experiencing unwanted contact as part of domestic and family violence.

You can also download and print the adult cyber abuse quick guide and image-based abuse quick guide, which have key information and advice.