By KATRINA PENAFLOR Campus Life Editor
January is stalking awareness month, and on Wednesday, Jan. 28, Abby’s House presented a workshop on cyber stalking and its connection to technology.
Andrea Hugmeyer, assistant director of Abby’s House, welcomed three speakers: Charisse Loughery, Kjerstin Stanavige, and Samantha Hughes. They discussed what exactly is considered stalking, what to do if being stalked, protection measures, and resources.
Stalking, according to the online website, www.ncjrs.gov/stalkingawareness, “refers to harassing or threatening behavior that an individual engages in repeatedly,” or as Loughery, Western’s student conduct coordinator stated: “a pattern of repeated unwanted contact.”
Some examples of stalking behavior are: unwarranted phone calls, unwanted gifts, tracking of a person’s phone or computer, or damage toproperty.
Loughery also mentioned that students should be mindful of the language they use when referencing stalking. Saying, “I’m about to stalk someone on Facebook” is taking the term out of context and belittling the meaning of something serious.
Stanavige, the second speaker, focused primarily on technology. She wanted students to recognize the hazards of posting too much personal information
online.
“Nothing you post is truly private,” Stanovich said.
Managing the privacy settings of Facebook, Tumblr, or other social media outlets are important to make sure personally identifiable information is not readily accessible to anyone who wants it.
Hughes, an Abby’s House advocate, spoke about apps, protection, and prevention.
Hughes informed students about dangerous new apps that are used for stalking, like Stealthgenie or Myspy. If unknowingly downloaded to a person’s phone by an outside party, these apps can give access to someone’s GPS, camera, call logs, and microphone all without the owner knowing.
Apps like Myspy will not typically appear on the home screen of a phone. Ways to spot them are to look for a fast draining battery without use, camera flashes going off without taking a picture, or changes to your location setting. Hughes advised prevention methods like periodically changing passwords or setting two-factor authentication.
Hughes gave students a list of helpful apps like Circle 6 or Glympse that can safely send your location to a preapproved list of friends if you feel in danger or worried. The Abby’s House app is also a good resource.
If someone is being stalked, as a victim, it is important to not respond or talk back to the stalker, and to find a resource to seek help. Help can be found at the Student Conduct offices on the first floor of Ackerman, Public Safety, Monmouth Police Department, Student Health and Counseling, and Abby’s House.
Kevin Gutierrez, a psychology major and co-outreach coordinator at Abby’s House, enjoyed the presentation and said, “Everyone should know what they are exposed to and ways to keep yourself safe. Be mindful what you post online.”
