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Cyberstalking on Facebook? The cowardly trolls of Facebook and what you need to know

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Cyberstalkers, The trolls of the internet / credit;http:/www.christianlittle.com/stupid-people/cornell-university-teaches-cyber-stalkers-how-to-stalk-better/
ON the WGRZ Channel Facebook page, recently I posted a subject on the Greatest Generation and the enemy that attacked them at Pearl Harbor. I used references of news reports that used the word "Jap." One person became upset with not the fact that America was attacked on that day nor that 1000’s died but rather he said the word was not PC.
From there on his comments, anger and frustration grew. With each post I made, his comments became more personal in nature and obscene. He encourages several others to persist in this venture.
It is a shame that people have to stoop so low that they engage in such gutter language and treatment. To the point of trying to gain information on you, where you live, make untrue and false statements.
I refer to them as cyber trolls. You can tell sometimes because when they have lost an argument or can no long engage they revert to such action.
So what is it? Cyber stalking is the use of the Internet or stalk, follow or harass someone. It may include false accusations, monitoring, making threats, identity theft, and damage to data or equipment, the solicitation of minors for sex, or gathering information in order to harass. The definition of "harassment" must meet the criterion that a “reasonable person” in possession of the same information, would regard it as sufficient to cause another reasonable person some sort of harm. This could be mental, or even sometimes physical.
Most stalking laws require that the perpetrator make a credible threat of violence against the victim; others include threats against the victim's immediate family; and still others require only that the alleged stalker's course of conduct constitute an implied threat. While some conduct involving annoying or menacing behavior might fall short of illegal stalking, such behavior may be a prelude to stalking and violence and should be treated seriously.
So what are the signs to look for?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberstalking
makes the following remarks and bullets as to what to look for.

False accusations. Many cyber stalkers try to damage the reputation of their victim and turn other people against them. They post false information about them on websites. They may set up their own websites, blogs or user pages for this purpose. They post allegations about the victim to newsgroups, chat rooms or other sites that allow public contributions, such as Wikipedia or Amazon.com.
Attempts to gather information about the victim. Cyber stalkers may approach their victim's friends, family and work colleagues to obtain personal information. They may advertise for information on the Internet, or hire a private detective. They often will monitor the victim's online activities and attempt to trace their IP address in an effort to gather more information about their victims.
Encouraging others to harass the victim. Many cyber stalkers try to involve third parties in the harassment. They may claim the victim has harmed the stalker or his/her family in some way, or may post the victim's name and telephone number in order to encourage others to join the pursuit.
False victimization. The cyber stalker will claim that the victim (the person being stalked) is harassing him/her. This phenomenon has been noted in a number of well-known cases.
Attacks on data and equipment. They may try to damage the victim's computer by sending viruses.
Ordering goods and services. They order items or subscribe to magazines in the victim's name. These often involve subscriptions to pornography or ordering sex toys then having them delivered to the victim's workplace.
Arranging to meet. Young people face a particularly high risk of having cyber stalkers try to set up meetings between them

Facebook along with ,any other social media channels do offer “block” keys but that is only good for the receiver on that page. Others can still read comments posted by the stalker. The stalker can also use other media outlets to propagate their attacks.

The Boston Globe offers some advice at;
http://www.boston.com/ae/books/gallery/cyber_safety/

From the US Department of Justice:

Prevention Tips

· Do not share personal information in public spaces anywhere online, nor give it to strangers, including in e-mail or chat rooms. Do not use your real name or nickname as your screen name or user ID. Pick a name that is gender- and age-neutral. And do not post personal information as part of any user profiles.
· Be extremely cautious about meeting online acquaintances in person. If you choose to meet, do so in a public place and take along a friend.
· Make sure that your ISP and Internet Relay Chat (IRC) network have an acceptable use policy that prohibits cyber stalking. And if your network fails to respond to your complaints, consider switching to a provider that is more responsive to user complaints.
· If a situation online becomes hostile, log off or surf elsewhere. If a situation places you in fear, contact a local law enforcement agency.

What To Do If You Are Being Cyber stalked
· If you are receiving unwanted contact, make clear to that person that you would like him or her not to contact you again.
· Save all communications for evidence. Do not edit or alter them in any way. Also, keep a record of your contacts with Internet system administrators or law enforcement officials.
· You may want to consider blocking or filtering messages from the harasser. Many e-mail programs such as Eudora and Microsoft Outlook have a filter feature, and software can be easily obtained that will automatically delete e-mails from a particular e-mail address or that contain offensive words. Chat room contact can be blocked as well. Although formats differ, a common chat room command to block someone would be to type: /ignore [person's screen name] (without the brackets). However, in some circumstances (such as threats of violence), it may be more appropriate to save the information and contact law enforcement authorities.
· If harassment continues after you have asked the person to stop, contact the harasser's Internet Service Provider (ISP). Most ISP's have clear policies prohibiting the use of their services to abuse another person. Often, an ISP can try to stop the conduct by direct contact with the stalker or by closing their account. If you receive abusive e-mails, identify the domain (after the "@" sign) and contact that ISP. Most ISP's have an e-mail address such as abuse@(domain name) or postmaster@(domain name) that can be used for complaints. If the ISP has a website, visit it for information on how to file a complaint.
Contact your local police department and inform them of the situation in as much detail as possible. In appropriate cases, they may refer the matter to state or federal authorities. If you are afraid of taking action, there are resources available to help you, Contact either: -The National Domestice Violence Hotline, 800-799-SAFE (phone); 800-787-3224 (TDD) -A local women's shelter for advice and support.

As with my posting on any Facebook, at no time should any follower or poster be subjected to constant attacks. Once and a while in the matter of debate on a subject, I can see some banter back and forth but for the constant trolling by persons who may wish harm on the singled out victim, is not just wrong but could become civil if not criminal in nature. To have an honest opinion is one thing and to have a debate on a post is one thing but this is now gone beyond that, to the point of stalking. Remember. Most will act in a cowardly manor and attempt to belittle you but, do not trust them. If you feel threatened, report them.
In any event, DO NOT allow these people to control your lives