Is posting about someone harassment?
Asked by: Rosie Howell | Last update: January 29, 2026Score: 5/5 (2 votes)
Yes, making a post about someone, especially if it's unwanted, derogatory, or reveals private info, can be considered online harassment, potentially leading to legal issues like cyberstalking, defamation, or invasion of privacy, depending on the content, intent, and jurisdiction, with serious cases involving threats or severe distress potentially leading to criminal charges. It's crucial to understand that social media platforms have their own harassment policies against such behavior, even if it's on your own page, and victims can take steps like documenting posts and reporting them.
Is it illegal to make a post about someone?
A lot of information about each of us is already available on the Internet. However, it is illegal to post private information about a person with the intention of causing harm or damaging his/her reputation.
Can someone get in trouble for posting about you on social media?
Yes. You can be charged with a crime based on social media posts. While using social media is generally lawful, some posts can themselves be criminal—such as posts that distribute child sexual abuse material, unlawfully share intimate images, or make true threats to another individual.
What can be considered forms of harassment in social media?
Identifying Forms of Harassment on Social Media
- Trolling. The term “troll” gets thrown around a lot—so much so that to some users, a troll simply means someone who disagrees with them. ...
- Bullying. ...
- Hate Speech. ...
- Doxing. ...
- Online Impersonation.
What are three actions that are considered harassment?
The three primary types of harassment often categorized are Verbal/Written, Physical, and Visual, though harassment also falls under broader themes like sexual, discriminatory (race, gender, religion), and psychological bullying, creating intimidating environments through offensive jokes, unwanted contact, threats, or hostile displays, with sexual harassment specifically including "quid pro quo" (favor for favor) and hostile environment forms.
What counts as harassment and stalking? [Criminal law explainer]
What qualifies as harassment?
Harassment is unwelcome conduct, often repeated, based on a protected characteristic (race, sex, religion, disability, etc.) that creates a hostile environment or interferes with work/life, including offensive jokes, slurs, threats, intimidation, name-calling, unwanted touching, or displaying offensive material, but serious single incidents can also qualify. It's essentially discrimination through behavior, making someone feel humiliated, threatened, or demeaned because of who they are, not just being a "bad boss".
What are the 9 grounds of harassment?
Harassment that is based on the following grounds— marital status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age disability, race, or Traveller community ground— is a form of discrimination in relation to conditions of employment. What is sexual harassment? S23 EE Act.
Can police do anything about social media harassment?
For the police, criminal harassment generally requires threats of violence. Those threats of violence need to be specific and against you. In addition, the police should get involved in cases of real-life stalking that is being combined with online stalking.
What evidence do you need for harassment?
To prove harassment, you need a detailed log of incidents (dates, times, locations, what happened), supported by tangible evidence like emails, texts, photos, videos, and witness statements, plus documentation of your complaints and the harasser's responses, showing the conduct was unwelcome, severe/pervasive, and based on a protected characteristic (like sex, race, etc.). Medical records showing impact and formal reports to HR/police also significantly strengthen a case.
Can you press charges for someone harassing you on social media?
At the state level, you can pursue legal remedy via criminal and civil law. In civil cases, the victim and their lawyer sue the harasser for monetary damages and/or other forms of relief. In criminal cases, the state prosecutes the harasser, which can result in fines, probation, and/or prison time.
What can I do if someone is posting about me on social media?
Send a cease and desist letter for defamation
A cease and desist letter on social media is a document that formally requests the author to stop engaging in defamatory or harmful behavior. They can, of course, decide to ignore your request, in which case, you would have to take the matter to court.
What proof is needed for slander?
To prove slander (spoken defamation), you must show the defendant made a false statement of fact, communicated it to a third party, did so with at least negligence or actual malice, and that it caused you actual harm or damages, like financial loss, with truth being a complete defense. Evidence often includes witnesses, recordings, and financial records to prove the statement's falsehood, publication, and resulting damages.
What is the 5 5 5 rule for social media?
The 5-5-5 rule in social media has two main interpretations: a content mix (5 valuable, 5 shared/curated, 5 promotional posts in a cycle to balance content) or a daily engagement tactic (liking 5 posts, commenting thoughtfully on 5 posts, and connecting with 5 accounts, all within 5 minutes) to boost visibility and relationships. Both versions emphasize balance and genuine interaction, preventing spam and building community by sharing diverse content or engaging actively with others.
Is making a post about someone harassment?
Social media harassment does not always involve direct threats to qualify as harassment. Persistent negative comments, sharing private information, or creating fake profiles can also constitute harassment. Victims can seek legal recourse to address these non-threatening forms of online abuse.
Can someone post me on social media without my consent?
If you discover that someone posted either photos or videos of you or your family on a social media site without your permission, the first thing to know is that it is illegal. Keep in mind that every platform has a different privacy policy, so the individual that posts may think they did nothing wrong.
What is not allowed to be posted on social media?
Please don't post comments or links to information that is offensive, illegal, abusive, profane, or defamatory.
What is proof of harassment?
The most valuable type of evidence in a criminal harassment case is direct witness testimony. Email, social media, and other messages are admissible as evidence in court. Witnesses will describe what occurred and how it made them feel.
What are the 5 ds of harassment?
The 5Ds are different methods – Distract, Delegate, Document, Delay, and Direct – that you can use to support someone who's being harassed, emphasize that harassment is not okay, and demonstrate to people in your life that they have the power to make their community safer.
What are three things that are considered harassment?
The three primary types of harassment often categorized are Verbal/Written, Physical, and Visual, though harassment also falls under broader themes like sexual, discriminatory (race, gender, religion), and psychological bullying, creating intimidating environments through offensive jokes, unwanted contact, threats, or hostile displays, with sexual harassment specifically including "quid pro quo" (favor for favor) and hostile environment forms.
What is considered social media harassment?
This includes expressions of discriminatory attitudes and beliefs—such as sexism, racism, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia or ableist prejudices. It also includes online sexual harassment, cyberstalking, and image based sexual abuse or other unwanted online conduct of a sexual nature.
Is it hard to prove online harassment?
It can be difficult for law enforcement officials to investigate cases of cyberstalking or cyber harassment, or to successfully prosecute someone for online behavior.
What makes a behavior qualify as harassment?
Deciding if behavior is harassment involves checking if it's unwelcome conduct related to a protected characteristic (like race, sex, age, religion) that is severe or pervasive enough to create an intimidating, hostile, or abusive environment for a "reasonable person," meaning it's more than just petty slights or isolated incidents. Key factors are the conduct's link to protected traits, its unwelcome nature, and its impact (humiliating, degrading, intimidating) on the individual, often requiring a pattern, though extreme single events can qualify.
What behaviour is considered harassment?
Harassment is unwanted, offensive, humiliating, or intimidating behavior, often repeated but sometimes a severe one-off, that targets an individual or group, creating a hostile environment, especially when linked to a protected characteristic like race, sex, religion, or disability, though it can also be personal (bullying). It can manifest as verbal (slurs, insults), physical (unwanted touch, assault), visual (offensive images), or psychological (intimidation, shaming) actions, interfering with someone's ability to work or exist comfortably.
What is not a form of harassment?
Some examples of uncomfortable situations that may not be harassment include a compliment with friendly intentions, a reminder or enforcement of company policies regarding dress code, helpful and constructive criticism or remarks, and any other language or action that does not create threatening conditions.
What kind of harassment is illegal?
Offensive conduct may include, but is not limited to, offensive jokes, slurs, epithets or name calling, physical assaults or threats, intimidation, ridicule or mockery, insults or put-downs, offensive objects or pictures, and interference with work performance.