When online sex ads become weapons to assault someone

The Internet has turned the world into a global village. It has increased the opportunity for both professional and personal growth. But there is a flip side to the glory of the internet and that can be horrific and terrifying. The women and children who have faced digital violence spread through the Internet are too scared to reveal their names, but the story they recount can instill great fear in any of us. One lady who lives with her children in Prince George’s Country couldn’t sleep for days due to the assault inflicted by her ex-lover, through the internet.

The ex-lover named Johnson had put her contact details and home address on numerous websites and social networking sites. The fake profiles and the advertisements proclaimed how the lady lived with her young daughters and son and would love to get raped by obliging men. The kids would sleep in the living room fearing that someone will attack their haven of years during the night. Men started coming at all times round the clock and the lady could not keep count after 50. She asked the help of the Sheriff and everyday battled to get the advertisements removed from social networking sites like Facebook and Craigslist.

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The sad truth is that we don’t have any laws against digital impersonation in many parts of the world. Though Texas, New York and California have got laws to discriminate the internet impersonators the same is not true for Virginia or Maryland. The absence of laws and the slackness of the law system have made the abusers bold and they are spreading their nastiness throughout the web. It is very difficult for the victims to get such ads or fake IDs removed from social sites. Some do not get adequate help from the law enforcement departments.

In 2011 a man in Los Angeles got arrested for opening 130 fake IDs of a girl in different social media platforms. The fake profiles were used to abuse the girl and publicize her as a fallen woman. Even teenagers are falling prey to the negative possibilities of the internet. In Texas two middle school kids were arrested for impersonating a co-learner and threatening friends from a fake ID. Strict laws should be enforced to ensure the safety and security of users and social media networks should become sterner about privacy settings.

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