Cyberbullying
What is cyberbullying?
- Sending mean and sometimes threatening emails or text messages.
- Spreading gossip, secrets or rumours about another person that will damage that person’s reputation.
- Breaking into an email account and sending hurtful materials to others under an assumed identity.
- Creating blogs or websites that have stories, cartoons, pictures or jokes ridiculing others.
- Creating polling websites where visitors are asked to rate individuals’ attributes in a negative manner.
- Taking an embarrassing photo of someone with a digital camera and emailing that photo to others.
- Engaging someone in instant messaging, tricking them into revealing personal information and then forwarding that information to others.
- Using someone's password in order to change their profile to reflect sexual, racist and other content that may offend others.
- Posting false or hurtful messages on online bulletin boards or in chat rooms.
- Deliberately excluding others from instant messaging and email contact lists.
Starting in March 2015, another type of cyberbullying has been outlawed. It’s illegal to distribute intimate images of a person if you know that they did not consent to that image being distributed or if you are reckless about whether the person gave their consent to that image being distributed. “Reckless” means you know the person may not have consented to the image being distributed, but you don’t care.
Cyberbullying may also be defamation. The Criminal Code (section 300) outlaws publishing a defamatory libel material published, without lawful justification or excuse, likely to injure the reputation of any person by exposing them to hatred, contempt or ridicule, or designed to insult the person. But criminal defamation is rare. More common is civil defamation – communication about a person that tends to hurt their reputation.
Reporting an incident of cyberbullying
If you or someone you know at UNBC is experiencing cyberbullying, immediately contact your campus security
office. They will engage UNBC Information Security to assist in their investigation and can also escalate situations to the local
policing authorities.
Cyberstalking
What is cyberstalking?
Cyberstalking is when someone uses the Internet or other electronic means to harass a person. With the
prevalence of social media like Facebook and modern cell phone technology, cyberstalking has become
more and more common in recent years.
Some examples of cyberstalking include:
- Sending a constant stream of email or instant messages to you, your friends or your family members.
- Posting inappropriate comments or making false accusations on your social media sites.
- Attempting to gather your personal info like your phone number, address, school that can develop into offline stalking behaviors.
Cyberstalking Prevention Tips
- Don’t use your real name or a commonly known nickname. Choose a genderless screen name for
- social websites where your name will be publicly visible.
- Use a separate email account through a free service not tied to your main personal account that you use for online activity.
- Choose a complicated password using letters and numbers that has no significance.
- Don’t share your password
- Don’t publish your real name, personal or contact info.
- Set your privacy options as high as possible.
- Don’t have personal conversations in publicly viewable forums.
- Refrain from publicizing your personal plans.
How to Handle Cyberstalking Behaviors
- Ignore unknown communications or friend requests sent to you.
- If threat level is low, send a clear message that their communication is unwanted (acts as a benchmark in case of police investigations or legal proceedings).
- Do not delete original messages (soft and hard copies).
- Take screen shots of harassing behaviors.
- Stop using site or service (if possible).
In Canada there is no cyberstalking law; however there are provisions in the Criminal Code for Criminal Harassment http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/c-46/FullText.html 264. (1) No person shall, without lawful authority and knowing that another person is harassed or recklessly as to whether the other person is harassed, engage in conduct referred to in subsection(2) that causes that other person reasonably, in all the circumstances, to fear for their safety or the safety of anyone known to them. Prohibited conduct(2) The conduct mentioned in subsection (1) consists of(a) repeatedly following from place to place the other person or anyone known to them;(b) repeatedly communicating with, either directly or indirectly, the other person or anyone known tothem;(c) besetting or watching the dwelling-house, or place where the other person, or anyone known tothem, resides, works, carries on business or happens to be; or(d) engaging in threatening conduct directed at the other person or any member of their family. Punishment (3) Every person who contravenes this section is guilty of (a) an indictable offence and is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years; or(b) an offence punishable on summary conviction.
Reporting an incident of cyberstalking
If you or someone you know at UNBC is experiencing cyberstalking, immediately contact your campus security office. They will engage UNBC Information Security to assist in their investigation and can also escalate situations to the local policing authorities.
Staying Safe at UNBC
There are no guarantees of personal safety in any environment. It is incumbent upon each individual to
- Walk with a friend whenever possible.
- Always be aware of your surroundings and the people around you, no matter whether it is day or night.
- Use well-lighted, well-traveled routes. Avoid dark, vacant or deserted areas.
- Walk with confidence. Show that you are aware and in control. Body language works.
- Trust your instincts. If someone or something makes you feel uneasy, get out or get away.
- If you feel you are being followed, move to a well-lighted and populated area or building, such as a store or restaurant, and call for assistance.
- Know where the emergency telephones are located on campus.
- If you are on campus after hours, stay alert.
- Lock office or lab doors.
- Call Security if you see or hear anything suspicious.
- Tell a friend, colleague or Security where you are and when you plan to leave.
- Arrange to meet a friend or request an escort from Security when you leave.
- Don't leave your wallet, purse, checkbook, cash or jewellery in open view. Keep them locked away or in a drawer or cabinet.
- Always lock the office or lab door when you leave, even for brief periods of time.
- If you see a suspicious person, or something suspicious, call Security.
To safeguard yourself against becoming the victim of a crime. One of the best ways to maximize your safety and minimize your risk is to follow some very simple security rules
Student Residences
- Always lock your door when you leave, even for brief periods of time.
- Secure your belongings, such as lap top computers, back packs, calculators, etc. Do not leave them unattended in a common area such as a hallway, library, lounge, etc.
- Do not allow strangers to enter your room unless they are properly identified. If a stranger does enter your room ask them to leave. If they refuse, create a commotion and leave quickly. notify security
- Don't leave your wallet, purse, checkbook, cash or jewellery in open view. Keep them locked away or in a drawer or cabinet.
- If you see a suspicious person or something suspicious call Security
For information about security initiatives on campus and security tips, please see
http://www.unbc.ca/security