Q&A
Parry Aftab's Q & A
Q
I heard about something called “cyberbullying by proxy.” I was told it was really dangerous. What is it exactly?
A
What you heard is right. The most dangerous kind of cyberbullying is cyberbullying by proxy, which technically means that the cyberbully uses others to do their dirty work.
Notify or warning wars are examples of this kind of attack, where AOL, Facebook or MySpace terminate the victim’s account because of the reports or defacing of their profile by someone posing as them.
The dangerous proxy attacks can get hate groups or sexually deviant groups involved. The cyberbully may pose as (or report) a minority teen on a white supremacy group site, hate site or a neo-Nazi site, posting things to get an angry reaction against the victim with their contact information posted. They may post an advertisement posing as the victim, looking for sex with adults. The hate group or deviant group members then attack, solicit or approach the victim online or in real life.
Cyberbullying is serious. It hurts. Take it seriously!
Online Safety Expert - Parry Aftab
Parry Aftab, an Internet Privacy and Security Lawyer, works closely with our Online
Safety Teen Editors and tells us what’s behind – and how we can overcome – the challenges
of the internet. She’ll provide step-by-step guidance to help you navigate your way to
internet safety.