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Identity Theft, Teen Style
Using the Internet to Cause Emotional Harm
By Keath Castelloe Low
Online identity theft takes a more serious turn when it involves bullying and threats. Parry Aftab, a leading expert in Internet privacy and security law, executive director of Wired Kids and the Wired Safety Group and author of The Parent's Guide to Protecting Your Children in Cyberspace (McGraw-Hill, 1999) writes, "I spend as much time protecting kids from each other online these days as from cyberpredators."
"Being cyberbullied really hurt me, not physically, but emotionally," says Jenna*, a teen who experienced bullying and harassment from a peer online. "That year was my lost year. The thing that was hurting me the most was that it was my best friend on the other line of the computer bullying me."
Jenna is now a member of Teenangels, a group founded by Aftab in 1999. These 13- to 18-year-old Teenangel volunteers receive special training by law enforcement and experts in online safety, privacy and security. Following their training the Teenangels help "spread the word about responsible and safe surfing to other teens and younger kids, parents and teachers."
Cyberbullying is the term Aftab uses to describe "any cyber-communication or publication posted or sent by a minor online, by instant messenger, e-mail, Web site, diary site, online profile, interactive game, handheld device, cell phone or other interactive device that is intended to frighten, embarrass, harass or otherwise target another minor."
A study conducted by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) found that online harassment of youth ages 10 to 17 has increased over the last five years. In addition, the study found that minors targeting their peers played a growing role in many of these incidents. These cyberbullies often steal passwords and assume another person's identity. They may then chat with other people pretending to be the victim. They may even change the password, ultimately locking the victim out of his own account. The offensive behavior can range from spreading rumors and gossip, making private information public by forwarding personal e-mails or instant messages, using offensive language and cursing and uploading embarrassing photos and making them public on the net, to making threatening and serious physical threats – all in the name of the other kid! The anonymity of the Internet makes it even more difficult to track these perpetrators.
