Advancements in technology have allowed the human race to communicate with one another easier and more effectively than ever before.
According to Charlotte Gunsolley, Victim Advocate at the Children & Family Center of Northwest Missouri, they’ve also made the art of stalking easier and more effective, as well.
“Stalkers are very resourceful in obtaining information,” Gunsolley said. “If you’re not very careful about protecting your information, it can end up on the internet. All a stalker would have to do is go online and find where you live. It’s very easy.”
Gunsolley went on to explain how it is easy for stalkers to find a victim’s location using a telephone number and a variety of Web sites.
According to a report conducted by the Stalking Resource Center in June 2009, over 3.4 million Americans over the age of 18 are stalked every year.
Of those 3.4 million people, roughly 25 percent of stalking victims are stalked using technology-based tools such as E-mail, text messaging and social networking sites.
This number is believed to have risen since the study was conducted.
Sheriff Darren White says Nodaway County is doing everything they can to prevent and protect from stalking, including the training of officers to adapt to online crimes.
“Nodaway County is now part of the Western Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force which encompasses 26 counties in Northwest Missouri,” White said.
“This task force deals specifically with technology crimes. Being a part of that task force, I have two deputies I’ve been sending to training so we can have some people within this department that have a little more knowledge about dealing with those crimes.”
Many online social networking sites have employed protective measures for preventing cyber stalking. Both Facebook and Myspace, for example, allow users to select which areas of information are able to be viewed by strangers.
According to Facebook’s privacy policy, administrators of the popular social networking site recommend allowing unlimited access to basic information such as a personality description, family and relationship information, work and education information and status updates.
The policy also recommends keeping more personal information such as your birthday, religious and political views, hometown and photographs and videos of yourself private and limited to friends only.
While these sites have adopted policies to protect their users, Gunsolley believes the use of social networking sites allows stalkers too easy access to personal information.
“Once you get yourself on there, (a social networking site) it is easy for anybody to find you,” Gunsolley said. “I’ve had several people whose abusers pose as them to get access to their victim’s information.”
Nodaway County Sheriff Darren White agrees online protection is in the hands of the users themselves, and common sense is vital in deciding what personal information to share or what not to share over the Internet.
“We try to teach these young people who are into Facebook and texting that the things you say, even jokingly, have a long lasting effect,” White said.
“It’s not like when somebody steals something from you and there’s a chance of recovering it. Once something goes out on the Internet, it’s there forever. There’s no brining it back.”
Gunsolley advises those who are being cyber stalked to make an attempt to change all contact information.
“If somebody comes in here and they have a cell phone, we advise them to ditch the cell phone and get a Trac Phone or a new number,” Gunsolley said. “We also advise them to change their E-mail addresses.”
Gunsolley warns people not to disconsider the seriousness of the effects of stalking.
“Stalking can lead to increased depression, fear and anxiety,” Gunsolley said. “It can also cause eating problems.”
Gunsolley advises those looking for assistance in dealing with a stalker to contact Maryville Public Safety, Northwest Campus Police or the Children and Family Center of Northwest Missouri.
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