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2009-03-04 10:27:18
By CAROLYN THOMPSON, Associated Press Writer Carolyn Thompson, Associated Press
Writer Tue Mar 3
BUFFALO, N.Y. The college student had endured months of online and cell phone
harassment from her ex-boyfriend. She ignored the barrage of e-mails, changed
her phone number and dismantled online profiles to cut him off.
Then one evening, her cell phone signaled a new text message. It was him again.
"You should keep to yourself and stay away from other people," the message
said, according to the student, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because
she feared for her safety. Her ex had found her photo online and attached it.
As text messaging has boomed in recent years, it has also given rise to
so-called "textual harassment." Text messages antagonize recipients in a way
that is not easily ignored: Most people are never far from their cell phones,
and the gadgets tend to blink and chirp until unopened messages are
acknowledged. Adding another sting, the victims are often charged by their cell
phone companies for receiving the messages.
A study of stalking by the U.S. Justice Department's Bureau of Justice
Statistics released last month confirmed that stalking by texting has become a
pervasive problem.
The report found 23 percent of stalking or harassment victims reported in 2006
that the stalker had used some form of cyberstalking, such as cell phone
texting or e-mail, to harass them. It was the agency's first measure of the
emerging practice, said Katrina Baum, one of the study's authors.
"Technology has become a quick and easy way for stalkers to monitor and harass
their victims," the report said.
And unless calling plans include unlimited texting, recipients are charged an
average of 20 cents for each message sent or received, wanted or not.
"I was paying to be harassed, which is a lot of fun," the victimized college
student said.
Providers including Verizon Wireless, AT&T and Sprint say they are willing to
work with customers who are charged for unwanted messages.
Verizon Wireless handled 90 billion text messages in the last quarter of 2008
alone, more than double the number during the same period a year earlier. AT&T
customers sent nearly 80 billion texts in the quarter. Sprint customers sent 41
billion in the 3rd quarter of 2008.
Having a device deliver a message tends to embolden people and provides a sense
of anonymity, even when the messages can be tracked to a sender, said Jayne
Hitchcock, president of the volunteer organization WHOA, Working to Halt Online
Abuse.
"They would never do this to someone in person," Hitchcock said, "yet they use
the faceless avenue of cell phones, their computers or home/office phones to
perpetrate the harassment."
States have scrambled to react to the new threat. Forty-six states now have
anti-stalking laws that refer to electronic forms of communication, according
to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Only four states Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Washington explicitly name text
messaging, but laws that are less specific may also be applied to text
harassment.
Last year in New York's Kings County Court, a defendant was accused of sending
six threatening text messages to a woman during a 17-hour period. The messages
said the defendant was outside the woman's house and that she would end up in
the hospital.
The defendant tried to get aggravated harassment charges thrown out by arguing
that text messages were not as serious as phone calls or letters and were not
covered by state law, but the court disagreed.
Technological developments "along with their many benefits, bring with them
ever greater potential for abuse," the court wrote.
The college student said she walked the rest of the way home that first night
her ex texted her with the uncomfortable feeling he might be crouched in the
bushes, even though she knew he lived several states away.
The texts and e-mails kept coming for more than a year and ranged from
innocuous appeals for contact to disturbing insinuations of violence. The
contact stopped in December, when the man messaged her that he had found
someone else.
Customers who do feel threatened are advised to call law enforcers, who can
then contact the provider to identify the sender.
A Web site sponsored by the Family Violence Prevention Fund, Ad Council and
Office of Violence Against Women offers a textual harassment forum where
teenagers trade advice and experiences with overzealous or unwanted texting.
The site, http://www.thatsnotcool.com, also has e-mailable reply "callout
cards" that offer a lighter approach to resolve what could be a serious
problem, with messages including "You're much more attractive when you're not
textually harassing me," and "Thanks for helping me exceed my text message
limit."