In recent years, there has been an increase in incidents of online harassment from outsiders targeted at members of the Harvard community. Harvard provides this document as a resource for community members who have been identified and targeted for online abuse, harassment, and intimidation.
Online harassment can take different forms:
- “Trolling” occurs when individuals deliberately follow and provoke others online, often with offensive content. While most trolling is merely a nuisance, occasionally trolling attacks can escalate to threats or to the point where numerous individuals are engaged in harassing the target and/or target’s organization.
- “Doxing” (sometimes “doxxing”) is when private identifying information that is not otherwise publicly available is published online. This information can include sharing an individual’s private email, personal phone number, home address, etc. on various platforms to frighten the individual and encourage additional harassment.
- “Cyberbullying” is the willful and repeated harm inflicted through using computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices.
These situations can be very intense, alarming, and disruptive to an individual. Online targeting can also have real consequences for livelihoods and careers. Read the full document for resources and information on reporting incidents of cyber-bullying, doxing, or trolling.