Is posting about someone online harassment?
Asked by: Mohamed Johns | Last update: February 9, 2026Score: 4.4/5 (66 votes)
Yes, posting about someone online can absolutely be harassment, especially if it involves spreading lies, sharing private info (doxing), posting embarrassing photos, making threats, or sending abusive messages, as this falls under cyberbullying and can lead to severe emotional distress, making it potentially illegal. The key factors are the intent to harm, the content posted (negative, false, private), and the impact on the victim (humiliation, fear).
Is posting about someone on social media harassment?
Cyberbullying can occur through SMS, Text, and apps, or online in social media, forums, or gaming where people can view, participate in, or share content. Cyberbullying includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone else.
What to do if someone is posting about you online?
Report the abuse to the social media or communication platform - Almost all social media and communication platforms now have a way you can report online abuse. Each platform takes different courses of action, but all will take the abuse seriously and help you resolve.
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.
Is it illegal to post something about someone?
Posting harmful information on the internet is crime known as 'indirect cyber-harassment' or 'indirect electronic harassment. ' It is committed by using an electronic device to post information about a person that may cause them harm, such as a third party harassing him or her.
What to Do If You Are the Target of Social Media Defamation
Can I sue someone for posting about me?
Yes, you can sue an individual for slander or libel on social media, but proving defamation can be difficult and requires substantial evidence.
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.
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.
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 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.
What are examples of cyber harassment?
Cyberbullying can include:
- Sending mean texts or IMs to someone.
- Pranking someone's cell phone.
- Hacking into someone's gaming or social networking profile.
- Being rude or mean to someone in an online game.
- Spreading secrets or rumours about people online.
- Pretending to be someone else to spread hurtful messages online.
Is it illegal to post information about someone online?
Posting someone's name or personal information on the internet or social media without consent is a violation of privacy rights and can lead to criminal and civil liabilities.
Can you get in trouble for slandering someone on social media?
Those who wish to build a defamation case based on social media content need to establish certain elements, including: False statement: The post must contain a false statement presented as a fact. Publication: The statement must be shared with someone other than the person it is about.
How many messages before it's harassment?
For harassment to be committed, there must be a 'course of conduct' i.e. two or more related occurrences. The communication does not necessarily have to be violent in nature, but it would need to be oppressive and cause alarm or distress. The incidents must be related and must not be two isolated incidents.
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 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 qualifies as harassment on social media?
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.
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.
What evidence helps a harassment case?
Save Digital Evidence Like Texts, Emails, and Chat Messages
Harassing text messages from a supervisor after hours, crude memes in a group chat, flirtatious or demeaning emails, or inappropriate comments in internal messaging platforms can all be important forms of evidence.
Can you sue someone for posting you on social media without permission?
If someone posts your photo or video without your permission, you can try to contact them and ask them to take it down if you know who they are. You can then pursue legal action if that person continues to refuse.
Can you press charges on someone for posting pictures of you?
Yes, you can often take legal action (press charges or sue) for someone posting pictures of you, especially if they are private, intimate, used commercially, or posted with false/harmful information, though it depends heavily on where the photo was taken (public vs. private) and how it's used, with remedies ranging from removal to financial damages under invasion of privacy, defamation, right of publicity, or specific revenge porn laws.
Can you legally stop someone from posting about you?
A restraining order can stop someone from harassing you on the internet, including social media. When someone posts harmful things, sends threats, or shares your private information without permission, you can ask for legal help.