Addressing Cyber Harassment: An Overview of Hate Crimes in Cyberspace

Abstract

This short piece will take a step back and give an overhead view of the problem of cyber harassment and the destructive impact it can have on victims’ lives. Then, it will address about what the law can do to combat online harassment and how a legal agenda can be reconciled with the First Amendment. Finally, it will turn to recent changes in social media companies’ treatment of online abuse and what that might mean for our system of free expression.

Keywords: Cyber Harassment, Cyberspace, Hate Crime, Cyber Stalking, Cyber Civil Rights, GamerGate, Revenge Porn, Nonconsensual Pornography, Terms-Of-Service, First Amendment