In the last few years, Social Media emerged as very efficient and fast-paced use of technology. It acquired a significant space in our lives today. Social media has proven to be an excellent platform for people. There you can connect with people or discover new business opportunities and explore. But, every coin has two sides. Likewise, many people misuse the various social media platforms. The statistics on cyberbullying and social media harassment cases prove the misuse.
Yet, a lot of it goes unnoticed and into ignorance especially when it comes to harassment. It is common for the users to ignore such acts on social media, but this is only catalysing this evil deed. One should always take a stand and report such incidents at earliest.
Why report an issue of Harassment?
You must report any difficult act done by any user because:
- Ignoring internet bullying is not the solution, you are not helping yourself.
- Ignorance encourages the offenders to keep doing the horrible act of Cyber Bullying.
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Your social and work life won’t be better after getting harassed on Social Media.
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When it comes to abuse on social media, most of the time people do not even report it. The common perception is that it is easy to avoid or ignore. Furthermore, victims are either scared or ashamed of saying it out loud. The person harassing is sometimes held at fault and faces much disdain from the society.
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Harassment is a serious offense, and people who follow such activities need punishment. So you should Report Social Media Harassment.Social Media Harassment Laws provide you with a frame and the power to put a stop to these activities.
How to report Social Media harassment?
You should always be aware of where to report cyberbullying. In most of the cases you are using be it Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube or Instagram. People use the creation of fake profiles for the sole reason of misusing them. So, these are easy to delete by the user at any time. In the case of offensive content, the offender can remove it. For such reasons, it is advisable to:
- Take a screenshot of the posts or the account/s of the offender, as proof, supporting the complaint.
- Seek the help of cyber cells if you find reporting to the site has not helped enough.
- Be aware of a response time needed by every social media to take action. There is a process involved. Wherein, the truthfulness of the complaint and the user needs verification.
- If you feel the need for action, you must not hesitate to report them to the police or the cyber crime department.
Also note, that it is advisable to report the account user along with the content. To make it easier to track the person and putting an end to the nuisance.
Believe in the system:
There are times when the authorities might not come to your rescue. There could be various reasons for it. They might have a procedure to follow. At times, they are reluctant to handle Social Media Harassment Cases. As they don’t weigh them as ‘Important enough’.
- You need to overcome your state of panic and anger and stand up for yourself.
- Expose the offender and the content online. Paste the content and the account holder pictures, using the same platform they used to abuse you.
- Create public awareness, while forcing the offender to hide and stop the activities.
- You will get support from other people who have faced a similar situation and have not reported it.
All the Social Mediums have a procedure to report any offense of abuse done with the use of their platform. Gather the courage, take action and write to the authorities. The authorities are also responsible for their user’s safety.
Laws for Social Media Harassment:
Section 66A of the Information Technology (Amendment) Act, 2008 provides a provision for people troubled with any Social Media Harassment, Cyber Bullying, or Cyber Crime. Under Section 66A considers being a cyber offense if someone is sending you any content which is either abusive, the offensive or unlawful nature.
It states that any conversation initiated to insult or harm any personal discomfort or sexual abuse or even harm the stature of a person considers to be an act of cyberbullying. So, the law applies to such cases.
