As we continue to turn toward an increasingly digital existence to do business, to connect to people, to learn; so to will criminals and other unsavory characters turn to the virtual world to conduct their business. These persons will continue to devise new methods of manipulating us through technology. It appears however, that our judicial systems are not evolving at an equitable pace. This was especially true in the Megan Meier case, where the myspace page owner that was leaving nasty, threatening remarks which led to Megan’s suicide, was not found to be guilty of harassment or any other charge.
I work with a group of close-knit, young females and it is a rare day that I don’t hear about some kind of myspace drama happenings. However, these theatrics seldom get any more harassing then a rude remark from a friend of a friend about someone’s less then stylish outfit or haircut. But what do you do when the messages become nasty, threatening and persistent?
One company, featured this evening on 20/20, called Reputation Defender, offers services such as its “Search and Destroy” option, which scours the internet to find anywhere your name or picture, is being used online. It then presents the information to you, at which point it also makes suggestions about what information could be damaging to your reputation. Once you know what’s out there, the company attempts to remove the negative information from the internet. Another service the company offers is “MyChild”, which attempts to do basically the same thing as the search and destroy, but it concentrates predominately on social websites such as myspace, facebook, livejournal and other blogs. The company’s stance is that parents should try to find out the information about their kids before their kids have a chance to see it. If Reputation Defender can find it first, it will save your child the heartache or embarrassment of their information being passed around online.
We may not have adequate laws yet to deal with cyber criminals, but being aware of what is being said about your children online and taking a more proactive stance about getting rid of information which could be hurtful to your child, could go a long way in protecting your child from the heartbreak of needless harassment.
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Children news » Blog Archive » Cyber Harassment; how can you protect your children ? (12/22/2007)
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“Cyber Harassment; how can you protect your children?”
While the Megan Meier case seems outrageous and unique, it isn’t unique. Hundreds of cases of egregious and heinous acts go on every day with the same excuses out of our lawmakers.
One such other case….The case of Nikki Catsouras, is a classic example of disgusting, hateful activity against innocent victims, while our lawmakers excuse themselves from enacting laws to prevent this.
The excuse lawmakers use to let themselves off the hook stem from the growth of the Internet and how fast it’s changing. This is a sham.
Chat rooms, message boards, instant messengers and email have been in existence for far over a decade now. While the software used to transmit messages changes slightly, the basic essence of using the Internet to send a message is largely the same. Is a decade or two long enough to establish some basic decency laws in regards to Internet usage?
I’ve posted the Nikki Catsouras story along with many details about the Megan Meier case so the inactivity out of our lawmakers towards these types of cases can be clearly seen.
Those who are interested in learning about cases like Megan’s and Nikki’s case are encouraged to drop by and comment on them if you like. I have a couple of polls set up as well. Danny Vice would like to hear your point of view.
Public awareness of the problem and discussions about possible solutions are the best way to pressure elected officials into action instead of excuse making.
I invite you to come by and share your opinion.
Danny Vice
http://weeklyvice.blogspot.com
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Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 8 Dec 2007
