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In case someone is impersonating you through a fake email or social media account, or if you are a subject of online harassment such as smear campaigns, threats, spreading hate speech or stalking, you should use the “Report” option to inform the platform about this issue. When you report the profile or message in question, you usually get an option to mark the appropriate violation of your rights and platform Terms of Service (impersonation, harassment, etc.). You can find more details on the American PEN Center website.

To prevent further harassment, it is also highly advisable to block the user(s) in question .

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In cases of online harassment or other forms of violations of personal rights (e.g. endangering security with threats) it is possible to report these incidents to the police or other state authority in charge of investigating or prosecuting cybercrime , as they can present criminal acts which are punishable by law. 

To see best practices for gathering digital evidence before filing a complaint, see the “File a complaint” section.

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When you are filing a complaint to the police, it is important for you to gather all the necessary digital evidence  and not only to copy the content of the message in question. It is often not simple, as it requires technical knowledge and patience, for which few people upset by the attack can have nerves. If you can't deal with it, call a friend, colleague or family member for help. They can also record evidence of an attack, but also deal with your account on the platform on which the attack is taking place. The documentation should contain material evidence of the attack and be classified so as to facilitate the search. Using a spreadsheet can be convenient, as attacks can be sorted by time, location, cause, duration and type of attack, reports filed on the platform, and response. This is all important information for lawyers, police, further investigation and court proceedings. Try to identify the type of attack, because some forms of online threats are still unknown to the general public, and sometimes even to the police. This will help the investigators to better understand what happened and how to look for the perpetrators.

First, you should provide relevant links or URL addresses in their integral form, i.e. if the attack occurs on social media, then you should provide an integral link of the account which sent you a threat. Then, you should save a copy of the message in an integral form containing metadata, i.e. email headers. 

Furthermore, it would be good to make a screenshot/print-screen of the message, image or a video included in the incident. On the other hand, if there are several segments of the incidents - you are facing-multiple SMS-s, messages received via an application on a computer or phone, etc. - you should make a screenshot of each one or possibly make a video of the entire process. 

In addition, if the harassment occurs through phone communication, then the report should contain call logs issued by the phone operator because they contain the time of the call and the number from which the call was made, which may make further investigation easier. Also, you can turn to a Computer Emergency Response Team in your country, which may provide technical support and mitigate the damage, or state bodies in charge of investigating cybercrime . 

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Publicly disclosing personal information about a target, such as home address, familial status, bank and credit card details, date of birth etc. This information can be posted on one or many different platforms, in comment sections, or via video or text. 

Regardless whether or not disclosed data is utilised for harassment, the unauthorized posting of data alone, qualifies as doxxing, and is viewed as a type of online attack. As is often the case, when doxxing creates an imminent danger to safety, art. 138 of the Criminal Code - Endangering safety - could provide legal protection. In this case, public prosecutors and police are mandated to follow up, investigate and responsible for protection. As the filing party, you are responsible for collecting evidence  needed for filing the criminal charges. This charge provides stricter sanctions if the target is a (female) journalist.

ADVICE: Explain in detail how, why and when you feel unsafe, and detail your concern for the safety of your family and loved ones. These details could be the key to success when it comes to court proceedings.

Art. 146 of the Criminal Code, Unauthorised Collection of Personal Data, which prohibits the collection, publication and use of data for purposes “other than those for which they are intended”, could provide the basis for legal protection. 

Document every instance and location in which your personal data was posted, and file this evidence with the police.

Immediately report doxxing and any other unauthorised publication of personal data to the websites or platforms where it was posted, and to the police. 

Follow-up on your report to better ensure they respond.  Immediate action is key to prevent further distribution of your personal information online.

Turn off location tracking options on your phone, Google maps, and other applications that collect your sensitive data (location, key address, etc). 

Put strict privacy controls on your social media profiles, and two-step authentication  systems for all website logins storing your sensitive data. 

Talk to the people you trust - colleagues, friends, employers. Urge the police to alert the platform to remove your personal data, and use website and platform reporting mechanisms. 
Deleteme is a tool that can help find and remove sensitive data online.

If you ever feel that the online violence you’re experiencing, might transition into the physical world, call the police → immediately. 

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