The Telegraph - sexist cyberbullies

Jennifer is quoted in The Telegraph article:

Katherine Jenkins, Louise Mensch and Lorraine Pascale are plagued by sexist cyberbullies

As Katherine Jenkins reveals that she has an online stalker, more women discover that the web is increasingly dominated by violent misogyny.

15 Nov 2011

Only the most observant would have noticed the faint shift in classical singer Katherine Jenkins’s expression as she answered a viewer’s question on the television show Something for the Weekend last Sunday; the sudden rictus quality of her smile.

But a furious statement she posted online just after the programme ended revealed a greater drama backstage. Addressed to an unnamed online “bully”, the statement read: “You’ve set up a false account in my name where u slate & destroy my character (sic). After blocking you, you still tried 2 find a way 2 get to me & this morning was 1 step too far. Sending in a question to be read on live TV… to 'make me look clueless’ is utterly pathetic,” she wrote. Jenkins, it emerged, has been the target of this cyberstalker for over a year. “I’ve tried to ignore you but after this it’s time to stand up to you.”

Yesterday, Lynne Featherstone, the Liberal Democrat Home Office minister, unveiled proposals to introduce a specific offence of stalking, potentially also covering cyberstalking. A three-month consultation will also look at the use of restraining orders and police attitudes to stalking cases. It is a complicated issue; but it is timely. For it has been a depressing week to be female and have any kind of online presence.

On Saturday, cookery writer and presenter Lorraine Pascale posted a jaw-dropping message she had just received. It ended with the phrase: “Get off the TV c**n and know your place”. (It is now in the hands of the police).

Both she and Jenkins received a groundswell of online support. But the cyberbullying of women is becoming a matter of public concern.

Two newspaper columnists went on record last week about the online sexist abuse they suffer for the apparent sin of being female and having an opinion, while American writer Sady Doyle, weary of the level of online sexist abuse she received, has begun to document it, using the twitter hashtag: #mencallmethings. In a roundup of her unsolicited messages, reproduced on various websites yesterday, she lists, alphabetically, the abusive names she has been called in lieu of actual argument. Scanning the seemingly relentless list ('bitch’ is one of the few I can repeat), the overall effect is, frankly, numbing.

One of the great joys of Twitter when it began was that it was a place where women could have an opinion, and be funny, using a public platform. Talk to many high-profile tweeters today, and you will hear stories of extraordinary abuse directed against them.

Just last week, bestselling children’s author Emma Kennedy suffered her “most depressing day” on Twitter when she took issue with someone who believed he had a right to create and enjoy the image of another female celebrity with a knife through her head. Infuriated when she blocked him on Twitter, he bombarded her with aggressive emails instead.

Kennedy believes that anyone in the public eye can expect to find themselves cyberbullied now. “Quite why this is, is baffling to me. My main beef, however, is that women are treated very differently to men. Men’s abuse is about their words or actions. For women, it’s about their appearance and sexuality.”

The urge to provoke seems to be behind much of it. You do not have to go far online to find oddballs whose sole raison d’être seems to be to get a rise out of those more successful.

But, in an age where women are increasingly judged by how they look, there seems to be increasing anger directed at those who choose to use their voice. And the downside of online access is that those who possess that anger have no filter in place to cause them to stop and think. When I interviewed a US sports writer on this topic last year, he regretted the loss of the “lick the envelope” moment of sanity that stopped many people from saying vile things.

Some women have chosen not to address such abuse head-on, fearful that it will inflame any cyberbullying. Indeed, Jennifer Perry, spokeswoman for the charity Network for Surviving Stalking, does not think Katherine Jenkins’s decision to address her stalker online would be helpful. Ms Perry, who has advised X Factor contestants who received abuse online, said: “It’s more likely to empower him that he’s got her attention. She’s now talking directly to him, which is what he wants.”

read full story here

Jennifer talks to Cosmpolitian about Cyberstalking

When does keeping up with your ex turn into cyberstalking?

Read Cosmoplitian's July 2011 story about cyberstalking

Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

Jennifer Perry works with the National Stalking Training Academy on new cyberstalking course

The National Stalking Training Academy launches “Cyberstalking: Technology Risks for Victims”.

“Making it understandable for front line practitioners”

Stalking, harassment and bullying has gone hi-tech. Perpetrators now use the Internet, mobile phones and social networks to gather information, monitor, intimidate and humiliate their victims.

You don’t have to be a computer "geek" to cyberstalk someone. There are a lot of easy-to-use, free tools available online, or as downloadable applications for stalkers to use on a range of devices such as computers and mobile phones.

It has never been more important that all practitioners are aware of these risks.

This new one day training course will enable practitioners of any level or background to offer informed, up to date and practical advice to those they encounter who are either at risk from or already victims of this new and growing threat.

The course will join the popular “Understanding and Responding to Stalking” course and delivered exclusively within the National Stalking Training Academy (NSTA).

The NSTA was launched earlier in the year with the backing of Home Secretary, Theresa May and is a partnership between the Safety Net Associates Group, The Network for Surviving Stalking and the National Centre for Cyberstalking Research.

The key aims of the NSTA are to raise awareness about stalking, harassment and cyberstalking by providing frontline practitioners with the training and knowledge they need to combat stalking and support those affected by it.

“Cyberstalking: Technology Risks for Victims” has been developed for non-technical attendees.

• It will explain the technology and how it works in plain language.
• It will teach practitioners to understand the risks for victims and what they can do to protect themselves.
• It will look at how different technology can be used to stalk or harass someone and how easy it is for perpetrators to use this technology.

Elements covered in “Cyberstalking: Technology Risks for Victims” include:

• What is Cyberstalking
• Warning signs of Cyberstalking
• Understanding Digital Footprints
• What are IP Addresses
• How to find out where a website is hosted
• Social network privacy – Facebook, Twitter & Linked In
• Spyware and key loggers
• What antivirus doesn’t catch
• Account takeover and email hacking
• Geolocation using GPS, cellsite or wifi
• Mobile phone applications
• Websites that expose your personal data
• Mobile phone hacking
• Cookies and browser security settings
• Password security
• Managing multiple email accounts
• Preserving electronic evidence

The training will be delivered by the Network for Surviving Stalking Cyberstalking Spokesperson Jennifer Perry.
Jennifer is an Internet safety expert and consumer advocate. She wrote the first UK Internet Safety Guide for Survivors of Domestic Violence and Stalking.

A member of the NSTA expert group, Jennifer also works with a wide range of stakeholders including: government, enforcement agencies, industry groups, security and legal experts as well as support charities.

This gives her access to the latest thinking on e-crime and anti-social issues facing Internet users. Using this collaborative work, she translates tech speak into clear, easy to use information for consumers - helping them to resolve their problems and avoid becoming an online victim.

The course is available for “in house” delivery to various organisations and agencies. For further details please visit http://cspacademy.ac.uk/NationalStalkingTrainingAcademy-Cyberstalking.htm

Look Who's Stalking - Cosmopolitan

I'm quoted in July's Cosmopolitan article on stalking. The article talks about a women named Kerry who becomes obsessed with her ex and starts stalking him via the Internet.

The University of Bedford's research shows that 35% of cyberstalking victims are men. It is often easy for an ex partner to access a social network or email account. When people break-up, they don't change their passwords or they use passwords that someone close to them can guess. It makes easy and tempting for their ex partner to snoop on their account.

In the article I talk about the difference from being obsessed short term over an ex and being a stalker.

Lords discuss stalking laws

Stalking Reform

On the 21st of June there was Stalking Reform event held at the Lords. It hosted by Baroness Howe of Idlicote.

The meeting gave the opportunity for victims to tell their experience. The heartbreaking stories often covered the lack of awareness by the police on stalking and how to deal with it. This lead to victims being murder.

The objective of the meeting was to discuss if the law was adequate. One of the key messages that came out was that the two pieces of legislation used to address stalking (The Protection from Harassment Act and the Malicious Communications Act) are only summary offenses. This means that the police do not have search and seizure powers. So for example, they can not access a suspected perpetrators computer to verify they were sending threatening emails or posting humiliating content online.

I was disappointed that there were no MPs, no one from the Home Office, Justice Department or ACPO. It will be difficult to make the reforms we need if we can not engage those departments.