Anti-Cyberstalking Groups Want More Support, Action from ISPs

Groups working with cyberstalking victims say ISPs need to do more, but ISPs say there is little more they can do. These activists say ISPs have a "moral, ethical, and corporate" responsibility to do more when it comes to stopping and identifying cyberstalkers.

An Internet Service Provider spokesperson likened the activists' and victims' requests to setting-up a traffic camera on every street corner, saying, "It just can't be done." ISPs contend they merely provide the service, they do not police it. This also brings up the controversy of ISPs giving account information to authorities, which many say can be a slippery slope; if ISPs grant account-holder information to authorities for one crime, why wouldn't they for another?

Many police now have at least one Cybercrimes officer these days, but identifying and stopping cyberstalkers can be difficult, because they simply create new accounts, screen names, user profiles, and the like and continue their harassment. Some victims and victim supporters are calling for government-based regulations and enforcers, but few netizens are likely to support that.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010