Cyberstalking and online harassment: what to do

What counts as cyberstalking or online harassment?

It's a pattern of online behavior meant to frighten, control or humiliate you. It can include:

• Repeated messages, calls or comments after you've asked them to stop
• Threats against you, your family or your pets
• Creating fake accounts to contact you or pretend to be you
• Posting your address, phone number, workplace or other personal details (doxxing)
• Sharing or threatening to share intimate images
• Tracking your location or reading your messages without permission
• Contacting your friends, family, employer or clients about you

Stalking is a crime in every US state, and many laws cover stalking that happens online. You don't have to wait for it to get worse before you take it seriously.

Step 1: Put your safety first

• Tell people you trust what's going on, so someone else knows and can help keep an eye out.
• If you know the person, especially a current or former partner, contact a domestic violence advocate. They can help you make a safety plan, including when and how to block or cut contact, which can sometimes escalate things.
• Vary routines that someone could predict from your posts, like when you leave work or where you train.
• Tell your workplace or school if the person might show up or contact them.

Step 2: Document everything

A clear record is what makes police, platforms and courts take action. Start now, even if it feels minor.

• Screenshot every message, post and comment, showing the username, date and time, and the URL where there is one.
• Don't delete anything, even if it's upsetting. Move it to a folder instead.
• Keep a log: date, time, platform or method, what happened and any witnesses.
• Save voicemails, call logs and emails, with full email headers if you can.
• Back it up somewhere the person can't access, like a new account only you know about.

Step 3: Secure your accounts and devices

Many stalkers get their information from accounts or devices they once had access to.

• Change your passwords on email, social media, cloud storage and banking, starting with email. Use a different password for each.
• Turn on two-step verification, ideally with an authenticator app.
• Check where you're logged in and sign out of every session or device you don't recognize.
• Check location sharing in your phone settings, maps apps, family or friend-finder apps and shared accounts.
• Review shared accounts and plans, like a shared phone plan, cloud account or streaming account, that could reveal your activity.
• Watch for tracking devices. Many phones can alert you to an unknown tracker traveling with you. Take those alerts seriously.

If you think someone has installed monitoring software on your phone, talk to an advocate before removing it. Removing it can alert the person, so it's worth planning for your safety first.

Step 4: Report it to the platforms

• Use the most specific report type: harassment, threats, impersonation, private information or intimate images. Specific reports usually reach the right team faster.
• Report every account, including new ones they create after being blocked.
• Keep a note of each report, the date and any reference number.

Step 5: Report it to the police

• Bring your log and evidence, organized by date.
• Ask for a report or incident number, and the name of the officer handling it.
• Ask about protective or restraining orders. An advocate or lawyer can also help with this.

In the US, you can also report online crimes to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).

Step 6: Get harmful content removed

Once your evidence is saved, you can start getting content taken down. The route depends on what it is:

• Intimate images: follow our guide on how to remove nude photos or videos from the internet.
• Your address, phone number or other personal details: see removing personal info from Google, and report the post to the site.
• Fake accounts pretending to be you: use the platform's impersonation report.
• Your photos or videos used without permission: a copyright takedown often works. Finding the right contact for each site and following up is where these cases usually stall. See how to file a DMCA takedown notice.
• False claims about you: that's defamation, and a lawyer can advise on your options.

What not to do

• Don't respond or retaliate. Engaging usually gives them what they want and can complicate a police case.
• Don't try to hack or track them back. It can be illegal and can put you at risk.
• Don't post about them publicly by name. It can escalate things and cause legal problems for you.
• Don't wait for it to stop on its own. Start documenting and reporting now.

Get support

Being targeted online can leave you anxious, exhausted and on edge. That's a normal reaction. Support can help:

• National Domestic Violence Hotline (US): 1-800-799-7233, or text START to 88788. Free, confidential and 24/7.
• Cyber Civil Rights Initiative Image Abuse Helpline (US): 1-844-878-2274, if intimate images are involved.
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US): call or text 988 if you're struggling to cope.

Outside the US, local police and victim support services can point you to similar help.

Common questions