Histories
Telling the many histories of online violence is incredibly difficult and fraught with risk. As Rebecca Richards writes having tried to find “a meaningful and safe way to collect data on the histories related to online violence, we have realized that there is no way to collect this data in a way that inspires trust between those participating in the collection or that protects those whose histories are being collected.”
You can read more about this effort at creating a history of resistance to digital and terrestrial violences in Richards’ piece “A Lot of Work and Nothing to Show for It But This Blog: Feminist Historiography and Online Violence.” This situation may change and we hope that we and others will find ways to make visible the long standing efforts of women of color, trans people, and digital content creators worldwide without putting these innovators at risk. In the meantime, you can read up on some of the issues by following the links below.
Research: Communicating on Wikipedia while female by Laura Hale
Wikipedia, Please delete my article: Deepak Chopra’s Wiki-War, Part 1 (Wikipedia, We Have a Problem”
The internet of things – who wins, who loses? by Maria Farrell (The Guardian)
How women journalists can protect themselves online by Violet Blue (Columbia Journalism Review)
Foundation for Individual Rights in Education)
#YourSlipIsShowing: Documenting a Hoax (clutchmagonline.com)
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The Laws
The law is a fundamentally conservative practice, one based on precedent and the procedures of due process. In many ways the legal ecosystem does not match that of the rapidly changing digital worlds that we inhabit and create. That said, there are some resources that you can consult. Please bear in mind that this is not legal advice but resource sharing.
The Cyber Civil Rights Initiative is an excellent topical resource.
Stalking is a crime: What to do if you are being stalked or criminally harassed (Canada)
Cyberstalking State and Federal Laws in the U.S. (Working to Halt Online Abuse)
Global Cyber Law Database (Asian School of Cyber Laws)
State Cyberstalking and Cyberharassment Laws (National Conference of State Legislators)
Cyberstalking Legislation (Wikipedia)
Cyberstalking & Harassment Resource (Domestic Violence Resource Center Victoria, Austrailia)
Stalking/Cyberstalking in the US (WomensLaw.org)
Cyber Exploitation (State of California Department of Justice)
Hatewatch (Southern Poverty Law Center)