Cyber-Law: Is it adequate to prevent the menacing act of cyber-bullying and cyber-stalking?

Abstract

Cyber-bullying is willful and involves recurring or repeated harm inflicted through the medium of electronic text. Cyber-bullying is when a child, preteen or teen is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted by another child, preteen or teen using the Internet, interactive and digital technologies or mobile phones (stopcyberbullying.org). According to stopcyberbullying.org, it has to be juvenile on both sides or prompt by minor against another minor to be labeled as cyber-stalking. Once a mature person becomes involved then it is called cyber-stalking or cyber-harassment which consequences may perhaps more treacherous than cyber-bullying. For some cases the act of cyber-bullying and cyber-harassment could bring the victim to suicide as it happened to Ryan Patrick Halligan and Megan Meier. Thus, there are cyber-laws put in order to deal with these menacing acts on the Internet. Cyber-law is a term used to describe the legal issues related to use of communications technology, particularly cyberspace (Answer.com). This paper is intended to look and compare cyber-laws available all around the world and other mechanisms available in order to cope with these intimidating acts of cyber-harassment.