Yea, I'm Talking to You... Punk. Are YOU Being Cyber-Bullied?

by Rob Fitzgerald

If you’ve been following the national news lately, you’ve seen articles and programs on teens and cyber-bullying.  To bring everybody up to speed:

CYBERBULLYING is the act of using the telecommunications (internet, mobile phones, PDA’s, etc.) to harass, terrorize, intimidate, trick, embarrass, or influence individuals.  NOTE: SEXTING falls in this catagory.

The basic idea is that pictures and recordings of an individual or group are posted online.  These pictures either show the victim in a suggestive or compromising position.  By the time the website goes live, how the bully obtained the pictures is irrelevant but typically the individual was coerced or, more likely, the pictures or video themselves are doctored so people will see what they want to see.

Many of the programs mention websites like Myspace.com and Facebook.com.  Of course, there are other sites that can be used, as well as the possibility of posting stand-alone sites.  This is a growing problem throughout America and, for now, there is little more that can be done, than educating children BEFORE they go down this path.

The real problem happens after the bully is found out.  What kids don’t understand is that this type of activity is criminal and could lead to very serious, long-term consequences.

What does this mean for corporate America?

It means a lot.  First, we are beginning to see this type of activity creep into corporate America.  Peers and employees are beginning to see the face of cyber-bullying first hand, and with it all the legal proceedings that come with it.

Secondly, the question of liability ownership (and who will pay in the civil suits to follow) arises.  Not only will the revealed bully be in trouble but you could be too.  The answer will come down to: How proactive are you in maintaining your company owned technology equipment? 

The follow-up questions to that are:

• Are the children of employees using company-owned computers, cell phones, or PDA’s? 
• Does the company require employees to read and sign fair usage policies? 
• How does the company monitor employee activity? 
• What tools proactively identify potential problems?

Our experience shows that employees do not understand how much data can be recovered (and used against them).  With the explosion of cyber-bullying in schools and its creeping into corporate America, we strongly recommend that employers consult with their legal counsel to develop a strategy that mitigates cyber-bullying in the workplace and protects their organizations, their employees, and themselves from criminal and civil suits.