The Criminology of Cyber Stalking: Investigating the Crime, Offenders and Victims of Cyber Stalking

Abstract

Understanding the elements and parties of each offense, including the offender and the victim, is the first step to tackle a crime. Cyber stalking is one of the most widespread crimes in the cyberspace. Despite substantial similarities between traditional harassment and cyber stalking, there are some diversities between these two forms of crime in terms of perpetration and their instances. These differences have caused cyber stalking to be doubly harmful compared to its traditional style. Emails, chat rooms, online social networking include tools and platforms for perpetration of this offense. The findings of this study suggest that most perpetrators of this crime are male and most victims are women. The most significant reason of this can be due to poor performance of criminalization process. Therefore, it is recommended that criminal legislation applies differential approaches and more severe penalties against cybercrimes against women in the cyberspace.