2012 Cyber Bullying Tactics (Updated)
Like classic bullying, cyber bullying is harmful, repeated and hostile behavior intended to deprecate & defame a targeted child. Cyber bullying describes threatening or disparaging information against a target child delivered through Information and Communications Technology (ICT.) Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is an umbrella term used to define any electronic or digital communication device or application used to obtain, exchange or disseminate information. ICT stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications, which enable users to create, access, store, transmit, and manipulate information. ICT consists of all forms of telecommunication, information technology, broadcast media, audio and video processing; transmission and network based control and monitoring functions.
ICT today usually means computer-based management of data or ideas, but will continue to grow with technological advancements. ICT has rapidly become one of the basic building blocks of modern society and will become increasingly integral as the information age matures. Whereas classic bullying typically involves in person interactions and non-digital forms of communication, cyber bullying consists of information exchanged via ICT and may never involve face to-face encounters.
In the article that follows, this writer briefly introduces his global theoretical paradigm definition, iPredator, who he believes to be the modern-day criminal and psychological reprobate. Compiled for the reader are the most commonly used cyber bullying tactics practiced by child and adolescent ICT users in 2012. As ICT advances and expands, cyber bullying tactics will also continue to adapt to the ever-changing world of Information and Communications Technology (ICT.) Within this writer’s paradigm of iPredator, a significant percentage of cyber bullies who are conscious of the harm they cause a target child are included. The definition of iPredator is as follows:
iPredator: A child, adult or group that engages in the exploitation, victimization, stalking, theft or disparagement of others using Information and Communications Technology (ICT.) iPredators are driven by deviant fantasies, desires for power and control, retribution, religious fanaticism, political reprisal, psychiatric illness, perceptual distortions, peer acceptance or personal and financial gain. iPredators can be any age, either gender and not bound by socioeconomic status, race or national heritage.
An important distinction made in this theory states iPredators can be any age and need not to be an adult. Unfortunately, cyber bullies are a large contingent of iPredators and growing as ICT advances and expands. In a child’s life, most often the iPredator is a cyber bully. Cyber bullying has reached epidemic proportions with no known end in sight.
Although bullying has been part of the human experience since the inception of civilization, cyber bullying has introduced to humanity a form of bullying never seen before. Bullying used to be confined to schools, neighborhoods or some small geographic location that the bullied child could leave and seek respite. With cyber bullying, the target child has no escape from the taunting and harassment afforded by ICT. Cyber bullies easily target children when they are vulnerable, unaware, unsuspecting or different from the peer group in power or peer majority based on their age, race, religious affiliation, sexual orientation and physical attributions.
It has been speculated that children view the real world and the online or virtual world as part of a seamless continuum. Conversations with friends may begin at school and pick up again, on a child’s computer or mobile device. Given the child has 24-hour contact with peers; they are susceptible to perceiving cyberspace and the virtual world as directly connected to reality. Because of this perceptual distortion, posited to be age and maturational related, children are far more negatively impacted by disparaging; abusive and false information posted about them online.
Regarding cyber bullying, children are somehow interpreting this online deprecation and taunting by cyber bullies more intensely, in a more meaningful way and far more impacted contrary to adult online users. For these reasons, targets of cyber bullying are more apt to personalize the victimization and can lead to a multitude self-destructive and destructive behaviors including: depression, alcohol/substance abuse, high-risk-taking and aggression.
In the severe reactions, cyber bullying is driving a growing number of children to attempt and succeed at a new form of self-extinction called cyber bullicide. Cyber bullicide is when a child successfully commits suicide stemming directly or indirectly from cyber bullying victimization.
It is for these reasons that cyber bullies and their assaults, when conscious of their intent, may classify them in the genre of iPredator. Educators, parents and the community at large must treat cyber bullying as a socially toxic phenomenon. To thwart this growing epidemic, it is paramount the adult community becomes educated on the tactics cyber bullies use to taunt and victimize vulnerable children. Given the variety of methodology’s cyber bullies use, provided below are the most commonly used cyber bullying tactics used in 2012.
1. Exclusion: Exclusion is a cyber bullying tactic that is highly effective and indirectly sends a provocative message to the target child whom they are not included in social activities without the need for verbal deprecation. As it is well-known children and teens are developmentally fixated on being recognized by their peers, the process of designating who is a member of the peer group and who is not included can be devastating to the target child.
2. Flaming: Flaming is a term describing an online passionate argument that frequently includes profane or vulgar language, that typically occurs in public communication environments for peer bystanders to witness including discussion boards and groups, chat rooms and newsgroups. Flaming may have features of a normal message, but its intent if designed differently and “flamers” endeavor to assert their power or establish a position of dominance.
3. Outing: Outing is a cyber bullying tactic that includes the public display, posting, or forwarding of personal communication or images by the cyber bully intimate to the target child. Outing becomes even more detrimental to the target child when the communications posted and displayed publicly contains sensitive personal information or images that are sexual in nature.
4. E-mail Threats and Dissemination: This is a cyber bully tactic used to inspire fear in the target child and then informing other members in the peer group of the alleged threat. The cyber bully sends a threatening e-mail to the target child and next forwards or copies & pastes the threatening message to others of the implied threat.
5. Harassment: Harassment is sending cruel messages to the target child that is worded in a severe, persistent or pervasive manner causing the respondent undue concern. These threatening messages are mean, frequent and very serious.
6. Phishing: Phishing is a cyber bully tactic that requires tricking, persuading or manipulating the target child into revealing personal and/or financial information about themselves and/or their loved ones. Once the cyber bully acquires this information, they begin to use the information to access their profiles if it may be the target child’s password, purchasing unauthorized items to the target child’s or parents credit cards.
7. Impersonation: Impersonation or “imping” as a tactic in cyber bullying can only occur with the “veil of anonymity” offered by digital technology. Cyber bullies impersonate the target child and make unpopular online comments on social networking sites and in chat rooms. Using impersonation, cyber bullies set up websites that include vitriolic information leading to the target child being ostracized or victimized in more classic bullying ways.
8. Denigration: Used in both classic and cyber bullying, denigration is a term used to describe when cyber bullies send, post or publish cruel rumors, gossip and untrue statements about a target child to intentionally damage their reputation or friendships. Furthermore, known as “dissing,” this cyber bullying method is a common element and layer involved in most all the cyber bullying tactics listed.
9. E-mail and Cell Phone Image Dissemination: Not only, a tactic used in cyber bullying, but a form of information exchange that can be a criminal act if the images are pornographic or graphic enough depicting under aged children. Children can receive images directly on their phones and then send them to everyone in their address books. Some children actually post these images on video sites, their social networking profiles and other programs for anyone to download or view.
10. Images and Videos: The usage of images and video as a cyber bullying tactic has become a growing concern that many communities, law enforcement agencies and schools are taking seriously. Images and videos of the target child are emailed to peers, while others are published on video sites such as YouTube. The usage of video and images are extremely dangerous and criminal in most states when the target child is a minor.
11. Interactive Gaming Harassment: Interactive games on online gaming devices allow children to communicate by chat and live Internet phone with others they are matched with online. Having the ability to exchange information with gaming opponents and fellow peers, children will verbally abuse others, use threatening and profane language, lock others out of games, pass false information about others and depending on their computer savvy, hack into other children’s accounts.
12 Pornography and Marketing List Inclusion: A frustrating tactic committed by cyber bullies is signing up the target child to numerous pornography and/or junk marketing e-mailing and instant messaging marketing lists. By doing this, the target child receives thousands of e-mails and instant messages from pornography sites and advertising companies.
13. Cyber Stalking: Cyber Stalking includes threats of harm, intimidation and/or offensive comments sent through personal communication channels. Frequently, with cyber stalking, there is a threat or at least a belief of the target child, that the cyber bully’s threats of stalking are unimaginary or could become actual offline stalking. Cyber Stalking takes harassment to the level of threatening the target child’s safety to an offline environment.
14. Griefing: Griefing is a term to describe when a cyber bully habitually and chronically causes grief to the target child, their peers and other members of an online community. Griefing can also occur when a cyber bully intentionally disrupts the immersion of another player in their interactive online gaming game play causing the target child embarrassment and shame.
15. Password Theft & Lockout: A cyber bully steals the target child’s password and begins to chat with other people, pretending to be the target child. Confident that others think he/she is the target child; they begin to communicate provocative and adversarial messages that is offensive and anger the target child’s friends or even strangers.
16. Website Creation: This is a tactic whereby the cyber bully creates websites that insult or endanger the target child. The cyber bully creates, designs and posts web pages specifically designed to insult the target child, their peers or group of people who share similar characteristics as the target child such as race, religion or sexual orientation.
17. Voting/Polling Booths: Some websites offer online users the opportunity to create online polling/voting booths that are free of charge and easy to post. Cyber bullies use these websites to create web pages that allow others to vote online for categories that are deemed highly embarrassing by the target child. Examples of voting and polling include the ugliest, fattest, dumbest, more sexually promiscuous and a plethora of other deprecating attributes.
18. Bash Boards: Bash Boards are online bulletin boards where children post anything they choose and often frequented by the cyber bully and target child’s peer groups and school acquaintances. At these online bulletin boards, negative and deprecating information is posted about the target child that is public for all to read and shared with others. Generally, bash boards encourage postings that are mean, hateful, malicious and embarrassing.
19. Trickery: Trickery is a tactic similar to Phishing in that a cyber bully purposely tricks a target child into divulging secrets, private information and/or embarrassing information about themselves and then publishing that information online. Like Phishing, trickery requires the target child to have some element of trust or respect for the cyber bully by agreeing to post sensitive information about them thinking the cyber bullies rationale for doing so will be beneficial and/or positive.
20. Happy Slapping: Happy Slapping is a relatively new type of cyber bullying that integrates the rapid growth of video online and classic bullying. This occurs when a target child or unsuspecting victim is physically attacked or embarrassed in person and an accomplice video records or takes pictures of the incident. The image or video is then posted online at video and social networking sites for public consumption.
21. Text Wars and Text Attacks: Text Wars and Text Attacks are cyber bullying tactics when the cyber bully and a group of his/her or her accomplices’ gang up on the target child by sending them hundreds of emails or text messages. Besides the emotional toll it can take on the target child, their cell phone charges may escalate.
22. Sending Malevolent Code: Sending malevolent code is a cyber bullying tactic whereby malicious information is sent intentionally to a target child to damage or harm their ICT. Many cyber bullies will send viruses, spyware and hacking programs to a target child that can be very costly to repair. The act of sending malicious code as a cyber bullying tactic is usually reserved for children and adolescents advanced in ICT.
23. Warning Wars: Internet Service Providers (ISP) offer a way for consumers to report an online user who is posting unsuitable or abusive information. As a tactic used in cyber bullying and harassment, children engage in “warning wars” by making false allegations to the ISP regarding the child posting ill-suited information. By doing these frequently enough, often times the target child has their profile and/or account suspended by the ISP.
24. Screen Name Mirroring: Screen Name Mirroring is a cyber bullying tactic used against a target child by constructing a screen name or user name that is very similar to the target child’s name. This name may have additional or removed letters, numbers or combinations of the two to appear the same as the target child’s screen name.
25. Cyber Drama: Cyber Drama is a cyber bullying tactic that is a lot more common than extreme cases of cyber bullying. Cyber Drama tends to be gossip that was not supposed to be shared on a blog or a flame war that ends after a few messages. Most child and adolescent online users are savvy about telling each other to refrain and will block a user or open a new account when necessary. Needless to say, some children engaged in Cyber Drama can be psychologically affected.
26. Sexting: Sexting is the slang term for the use of a cell phone or other information and communications technologies to distribute pictures or video of sexually explicit images. It can also refer to text messages of a sexually charged nature. Sexting is both a sexually oriented form of communication and a cyber bullying tactic.
27. Pseudonyms: A pseudonym is a nickname cyber bullies call themselves when they are online as opposed to when offline. They do this to keep their real identity a secret from the target child. When using instant messaging services like MSN Messenger or Yahoo Messenger, an online user has a nickname they have chosen. Cyber bullies use this same feature to change their name to something that a target child would not expect.
28. Instant Messaging (IM): Instant Messaging is a type of communications service that enables online users to create a private chat room with another individual. Cyber bullies can and do use IM to send harassing and threatening messages to the targets of their hatred and loathing. IM has become a very large part of the social lives of child and adolescent online users. The conversations and conflicts that arise online often give rise to behaviors that are acted out in person during school or at the local shopping mall.
Children of the 21st century are targeted via classic bullying, cyber bullying or a combination of the two. Given the evolution of digital technology and the growth of the Internet, cyber bullying has reached epidemic proportions among the pediatric segments of society and has become a permanent weapon in the bully’s toolbox. At the core of all bullying, cyber and classic, are victimization, disparagement and abuse of a targeted child. Child abuse, whether perpetrated by a child or adult, is detrimental to all aspects of their development following them into adulthood and throughout their lifespan.
PDF iPredator Factors Overview
Dear iPredator Team, ACFEI, Friends, Colleagues & Media Associates,
Below I have attached 2 links to my Scribd & Academia.edu accounts and to pass on to friends & colleagues is final edit and my recently completed article simply titled “iPredator Factors Overview.” The factors briefly described in the article are the 20 facets that were used to create and design the theoretical construct of iPredator and all the iPredator Inc. Products & Services. Although information and Communications Technology (ICT) will continue to expand and grow and we are merely scratching the surface of the future of cyberspace, these 20 factors I predict will be relevant for decades to come. Having spoken to our astute web developer and iPredator team member, Benchley of WEBNETG, he has informed me today the website will be ready to launch by the last day of April. Mark your calendars for May 1, 2012 and write in check www.iPredator.co
Scribd Link: http://www.scribd.com/doc/89748607
Academia.edu Link: http://independent.academia.edu/iPredator/Papers/1571124/iPredator_Factors_Overview
Dr. Michael Nuccitelli Discusses Cyber Bullying With Craig Price
Dr. Michael Nuccitelli conducts an interview with Mr. Craig Price as they discuss Cyber Bullying. The link to the show is as follows:
http://realitycheckpodcast.com
Dr. Nuccitelli’s working definition of Cyber Bullying:
Like classic bullying, cyber bullying is harmful, repeated and hostile behavior intended to taunt, deprecate & defame a targeted child. Cyber bullying describes threatening or disparaging information against a target child delivered through information and communications technology (ICT.) Unlike classic bullying, cyber bullying includes a phenomenon called Cyber Bullying by proxy. Cyber bullying by proxy is when a cyber bully encourages or persuades others to engage in deprecating and harassing a target child. Cyber bullying by proxy is a dangerous form of cyber bullying because adults may become the accomplices to the cyber bully involved in the harassment and do not know they are dealing with a child or someone they may be know. A cyber bully is usually driven by a need for peer acceptance, but may engage in these maladaptive behaviors out of ignorance of the distress they cause a target child, or the most malevolent form, feels minimal remorse for the harm they are inflicting upon the target child.
Cyber Bully Proof Your Children and Students!!!
Dear Friends, Colleagues & Media Representatives,
This evening, from 7:10-8:00 pm EST, I will be a guest on the Get Rushed with Devyn Rush and James Burns Internet radio show discussing bullying, cyber bullying and the impact of social media on children. Feel free to listen and to call in with questions at (646) 595-4965. As always with the Internet, the show is archived at the same link to listen at a later time.
2012 Cyber Bullying Tactics
As a forensic psychologist with expertise in theoretical criminology and abnormal psychology, this writer has formulated a psychological, and criminological construct for the growing dimension known as cyberspace. This paradigm he has termed iPredator and children and adolescents who engage in cyber bullying of other children using information and communications technology (ICT.) Within this writer’s paradigm of iPredator, a significant percentage of those cyber bullies who are conscious of the harm they cause a target child are included.
Like classic bullying, cyber bullying is harmful, repeated and hostile behavior intended to deprecate & defame a targeted child. Cyber bullying describes threatening or disparaging information against a target child delivered through information and communications technology (hereafter, ICT.) ICT is an umbrella term that includes any communication device or application, encompassing: radio, television, cellular phones, computer and network hardware and software, satellite systems and so on, as well as the various services and applications associated with them, such as videoconferencing and distance learning (SearchCIO-Midmarket.) Whereas classic bullying typically involves face-to-face interactions and non-digital forms of communication, cyber bullying consists of information exchanged via ICT and may never involve face to-face encounters.
In the article that follows, this writer briefly introduces his global theoretical paradigm definition, iPredator, who he believes to be the modern-day criminal and psychological reprobate. Compiled for the reader are the most commonly used cyber bullying tactics practiced by child and adolescent ICT users in 2012. As ICT advances and expands, cyber bullying tactics will also continue to adapt to the ever changing world of information and communications technology (ICT.) Within this writer’s paradigm of iPredator, a significant percentage of those cyber bullies who are conscious of the harm they cause a target child are included.The definition of iPredator is as follows:
iPredator: A child, adult or group who engages in exploitation, victimization, stalking, theft or disparagement of others using information and communications technology (ICT.) iPredators are driven by deviant fantasies, desires for power and control, retribution, religious fanaticism, political reprisal, psychiatric illness, perceptual distortions, peer acceptance or personal and financial gain. iPredators can be any age, either gender and not bound by socio-economic status or racial/national heritage.
An important distinction made in this theory states iPredators can be any age and need not to be an adult. Unfortunately, cyber bullies are a large contingent of iPredators and growing as ICT advances and expands. In a child’s life, most often the iPredator is a cyber bully. Cyber bullying has reached epidemic proportions with no known end in sight.
Although bullying has been part of the human experience since the inception of civilization, cyber bullying has introduced to humanity a form of bullying never seen before. Bullying use to be confined to schools, neighborhoods or some small geographic location that the bullied child could leave and seek respite. With cyber bullying, the target child has no escape from the taunting and harassment afforded by ICT.
Cyber bullies easily target children when they are vulnerable, unaware, unsuspecting or different from the peer group in power or peer majority based on their age, race, religious affiliation, sexual orientation and physical attributions. Although bullying has been part of the human experience since the inception of civilization, cyber bullying has introduced to humanity a form of bullying never seen before. Bullying use to be confined to schools, neighborhoods or some small geographic location that the bullied child could leave and seek respite. With cyber bullying, the target child has no escape from the taunting and harassment afforded by the internet and mobile digital technology.
It has been speculated that children view the real world and the online or virtual world as part of a seamless continuum. Conversations with friends may begin at school and pick up again, on a child’s computer or mobile device. Given the child has 24 hour contact with peers, they are susceptible to perceiving cyberspace and the virtual world as directly connected to reality. Because of this perceptual distortion, posited to be age and maturational related, children are far more negatively impacted by disparaging, abusive and false information posted about them online.
Regarding cyber bullying, children are somehow interpreting this online deprecation and taunting by cyber bullies more intensely, in a more meaningful way and far more impacted as opposed to adult online users. For these reasons, targets of cyber bullying are more apt to personalize the victimization and can lead to a multitude self-destructive and destructive behaviors including: depression, alcohol/substance abuse, high risk taking and aggression.
In the severest reactions, cyber bullying is driving a growing number of children to attempt and succeed at a new form of self-extinction called cyber bullicide. Cyber bullicide is when a child successfully commits suicide stemming directly or indirectly from cyber bullying victimization.
It is for these reasons that cyber bullies and their assaults, when conscious of their intent, may classify them in the genre of iPredator. Educators, parents and the community at large must treat cyber bullying as a societally toxic phenomenon. To thwart this growing epidemic, it is paramount the adult community becomes educated on the tactics cyber bullies use to taunt and victimize vulnerable children. Given the variety of methodologies cyber bullies use, which continues to expand, provided below are the most commonly used cyber bullying tactics used in 2012.
1. Exclusion: Exclusion is a cyber bullying tactic that is highly effective and indirectly sends a provocative message to the target child that they are not included in social activities without the need for verbal deprecation. As it is well-known children and teens are developmentally fixated on being recognized by their peers, the process of designating who is a member of the peer group and who is not included can be devastating to the target child.
2. Flaming: Flaming is a term describing an online passionate argument that frequently includes profane or vulgar language, that typically occurs in public communication environments for peer bystanders to witness including discussion boards and groups, chatrooms and newsgroups. Flaming may have features of a normal message, but its intent if designed differently and flamers endeavor to assert their power or establish a position of dominance
3. Outing: Outing is a cyber bullying tactic that includes the public display, posting, or forwarding of personal communication or images by the cyber bully personal to the target child. Outing becomes even more detrimental to the target child when the communications posted and displayed publicly contains sensitive personal information or images that are sexual in nature.
4. E-mail Threats and Dissemination: This is a cyber bully tactic used to inspire fear in the target child and then informing other members in the peer group of the alleged threat. The cyber bully sends a threatening e-mail to the target child and then forwards or copy & pastes the threatening message to others of the implied threat.
5. Harassment: Harassment is sending hurtful messages to the target child that is worded in a severe, persistent or pervasive manner causing the respondent undue concern. These threatening messages are hurtful, frequent and very serious.
6. Phishing: Phishing is a cyber bully tactic that requires tricking, persuading or manipulating the target child into revealing personal and/or financial information about themselves and/or their loved ones. Once the cyber bully acquires this information, they begin to use the information to access their profiles if it may be the target child’s password, purchasing unauthorized items with the target child’s or parents credit cards.
7. Impersonation: Impersonation or “imping” as a tactic in cyber bullying can only occur with the “veil of anonymity” offered by digital technology. Cyber bullies impersonate the target child and make unpopular online comments on social networking sites and in chat rooms. Using impersonation, cyber bullies set up websites that include vitriolic information leading to the target child being ostracized or victimized in more classic bullying ways.
8. Denigration: Used in both classic and cyber bullying, denigration is a term used to describe when cyber bullies send, post or publish cruel rumors, gossip and untrue statements about a target child to intentionally damage their reputation or friendships. Also known as “dissing,” this cyber bullying method is a common element and layer involved in most all of the cyber bullying tactics listed.
9. E-mail and Cell Phone Image Dissemination: Not only a tactic used in cyber bullying, but a form of information exchange that can be a criminal act if the images are pornographic or graphic enough depicting under aged children. Children can receive images directly on their phones and then send them to everyone in their address books. Some children actually post these images on video sites, their social networking profiles and other programs for anyone to download or view.
10. Images and Videos: The usage of images and video as a cyber bullying tactic has become a growing concern that many communities, law enforcement agencies and schools are taking seriously. Images and videos of the target child are emailed to peers, while others are published on video sites such as YouTube. The usage of video and images are extremely dangerous and criminal in most states when the target child is a minor.
11. Interactive Gaming Harassment: Interactive games on online gaming devices allow children to communicate by chat and live internet phone with others they are matched with online. Having the ability to exchange information with gaming opponents and fellow peers, children will verbally abuse others, use threatening and profane language, lock others out of games, pass false information about others and depending on their computer savvy, hack into other children’s accounts.
12 Pornography and Marketing List Inclusion: A frustrating tactic committed by cyber bullies is signing up the target child to numerous pornography and/or junk marketing e-mailing and instant messaging marketing lists. By doing this, the target child receives thousands of e-mails and instant messages from pornography sites and advertising companies.
13. Cyber Stalking: Cyber Stalking includes threats of harm, intimidation and/or offensive comments sent through personal communication channels. Frequently with cyber stalking, there is a threat or at least a belief by the target child, that the cyber bullies threats of stalking are real or could become real offline stalking. Cyber Stalking takes harassment to the level of threatening the target child’s safety to an offline environment.
14. Griefing: Griefing is a term to describe when a cyber bully habitually and chronically causes grief to the target child, their peers and other members of an online community. Griefing can also occur when a cyber bully intentionally disrupts the immersion of another player in their interactive online gaming game play causing the target child embarrassment and shame.
15. Password Theft & Lockout: A cyber bully steals the target child’s password and begins to chat with other people, pretending to be the target child. Confident that others think he/she is the target child, they begin to communicate provocative and adversarial messages that are offensive and anger the target child’s friends or even strangers.
16. Website Creation: This is a tactic whereby the cyber bully creates websites that insult or endangers the target child. The cyber bully creates, designs and posts web pages specifically designed to insult the target child, their peers or group of people who share similar characteristics as the target child such as race, religion or sexual orientation.
17. Voting/Polling Booths: Some websites offer online users the opportunity to create online polling/voting booths that are free of charge and easy to post. Cyber bullies use these websites to create web pages that allow others to vote online for categories that are deemed highly embarrassing by the target child. Examples of voting and polling include the ugliest, fattest, dumbest, most sexually promiscuous and a plethora of other deprecating attributes.
18. Bash Boards: Bash Boards are online bulletin boards where children post anything they choose and often frequented by the cyber bully and target child’s peer groups and school acquaintances. At these online bulletin boards, negative and deprecating information is posted about the target child that is public for all to read and shared with others. Generally, bash boards encourage postings that are mean, hateful, malicious and embarrassing.
19. Trickery: Trickery is a tactic similar to phishing in that a cyber bully purposely tricks a target child into divulging secrets, private information and/or embarrassing information about themselves and then publishing that information online. Like phishing, trickery requires the target child to have some element of trust or respect for the cyber bully by agreeing to post sensitive information about them thinking the cyber bullies rationale for doing so will be beneficial and/or positive.
20. Happy Slapping: Happy Slapping is a relatively new type of cyber bullying that integrates the rapid growth of video online and classic bullying. This occurs when a target child or unsuspecting victim is physically attacked or embarrassed in person and an accomplice video records or takes pictures of the incident. The image or video is then posted online at video and social networking sites for public consumption.
21. Text Wars and Text Attacks: Text Wars and Text Attacks are cyber bullying tactics when the cyber bully and a group of his/her accomplices’ gang up on the target child by sending them hundreds of emails or text messages. Besides the emotional toll, it can take on the target child, their cell phone charges may escalate.
22. Sending Malicious Code: Sending malicious code is a cyber bullying tactic whereby malicious information is sent intentionally to a target child to damage or harm their ICT. Many cyber bullies will send viruses, spyware and hacking programs to a target child that can be very costly to repair. The act of sending malicious code as a cyber bullying tactic is usually reserved for children and adolescents advanced in ICT.
23. Warning Wars: Internet Service Providers (ISP) offer a way for consumers to report an online user who is posting inappropriate or abusive information. As a tactic used in cyber bullying and harassment, children engage in “warning wars” by making false allegations to the ISP regarding the child posting inappropriate information. By doing this frequently enough, often times the target child has their profile and/or account suspended by the ISP.
24. Screen Name Mirroring: Screen Name Mirroring is a cyber bullying tactic used against a target child by constructing a screen name or user name that is very similar to the target child’s name. This name may have additional or removed letters, numbers or combinations of the two to appear the same as the target child’s screen name.
25. Cyber Drama: Cyber Drama is a cyber bullying tactic that is a lot more common than extreme cases of cyber bullying. Cyber Drama tends to be gossip that was not supposed to be shared on a blog or a flame war that ends after a few messages. Most child and adolescent online users are savvy about telling each other to refrain and will block a user or open a new account when necessary. Needless to say, some children engaged in Cyber Drama can be psychologically affected.
26. Sexting: Sexting is the slang term for the use of a cell phone or other information and communications technologies to distribute pictures or video of sexually explicit images. It can also refer to text messages of a sexually-charged nature. Sexting is both a sexually oriented form of communication and a cyber bullying tactic.
27. Pseudonyms: A pseudonym is a nickname cyber bullies call themselves when they are online as opposed to when offline. They do this to keep their real identity a secret from the target child. When using instant messaging services like MSN Messenger or Yahoo Messenger, an online user has a nickname they have chosen. Cyber bullies use this same feature to change their name to something that a target child would not expect.
28. Instant Messaging (IM): Instant Messaging is a type of communications service that enables online users to create a private chat room with another individual. Cyber bullies can and do use IM to send harassing and threatening messages to the targets of their hatred and loathing. IM has become a very large part of the social lives of child and adolescent online users. The conversations and conflicts that arise online often give rise to behaviors that are acted out in person during school or at the local shopping mall.
Children of the 21st century are targeted via classic bullying, cyber bullying or a combination of the two. Given the evolution of digital technology and growth of the internet, cyber bullying has reached epidemic proportions among the pediatric segments of society and has become a permanent weapon in the bully’s toolbox. At the core of all bullying, cyber and classic, are victimization, disparagement and abuse of a targeted child. Child abuse, whether perpetrated by a child or adult, is detrimental to all aspects of their development following them into adulthood and throughout their lifespan.
Resource Box: iPredator Inc. was founded in September 2011 to provide educational and advisory products & services to consumers and organizations on Cyber Bullying, Cyber Stalking, Child Predators, Cyber Crime, Internet Defamation, Cyber Terrorism and the new field of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Psychology. Created by a NYS licensed psychologist and certified forensic consultant, Dr. Michael Nuccitelli, their goal is to reduce victimization, theft and disparagement from online assailants. In addition to assisting citizens, iPredator Inc.’s mission is to initiate a national educational & awareness campaign with the help of private, state and federal agencies. To watch an overview of iPredator Inc., visit http://youtu.be/ExTl-Je6FDA. Dr. Nuccitelli can be reached atdrnucc@hotmail.com. Dr. Nuccitelli’s forensics blog can be viewed at www.DarkPsychology.co. and their website being launched 3/2012, www.iPredator.co, offers site visitors an enormous database on criminal psychology, forensics and iPredators.
iPredator Inc.’s Introductory Video
iPredator Inc. YouTube Introductory Video
iPredator Inc. Overview
iPredator Inc. was founded in September 2011 to provide educational and advisory products & services to consumers and organizations on cyber bullying, cyber stalking, online sexual predators, cybercrime, internet libel, digital reputation and cyber psychology. Owned and operated by a New York State licensed psychologist and certified forensic consultant, his goal is to reduce victimization, theft and disparagement from online assailants. In addition to assisting citizens, iPredator Inc.’s mission is to initiate a nationally sustained educational & awareness campaign with the help of the highly reputable forensic organization he is affiliated with, the American College of Forensics Examiners. By January 2012, iPredator Inc. will launch their website, www.ipredator.co , offering an enormous free resource library for site visitors.
As Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Nuccitelli became interested in the psychology and profiling of those who use digital technology to abuse, steal, taunt and victimize others online in 2009. It is now approaching 2012, and Dr. Nuccitelli has grown even more determined to develop victimization prevention & intervention strategies for online users utilizing education, marketing and media tactics. He completed his doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology in 1994 from the Adler School of Professional Psychology in Chicago, Illinois. In 1997, Dr. Nuccitelli became a licensed psychologist in New York State (License # 013009.) In 2006, he received the Certified Forensic Consultant designation from the American College of Forensic Examiners (Identification # 103110.)
At the center of iPredator Inc.’s products, services and marketing strategy is Dr. Nuccitelli’s theoretical construct, iPredator, which is in the final stages of trademarking. Over the last 2 years, Dr. Nuccitelli has dedicated himself to learning the psychological composition of those who are engaged in malevolent activities online. The definition is as follows:
iPredator™: A child, adult or group who engages in exploitation, victimization, stalking, theft or disparagement of others using information and communications technology (ICT.) iPredators are driven by deviant sexual fantasies, desires for power and control, retribution, religious fanaticism, political reprisal, psychiatric illness, perceptual distortions, peer acceptance or personal and financial gain. iPredators can be any age, either gender and not bound by socio-economic status or racial/national heritage.
Over the last two years, Dr. Nuccitelli has compiled an enormous database leading to his development of online risk probability assessments designed for parents, businesses, teens and young adults, adults and public figures. Concurrent with these assessments, iPredator Inc. will offer a unique advisory-based membership service, iPredator Protected, on the appropriate strategies for prevention, intervention and guidance if targeted by an iPredator. iPredator Inc. services will include trainings, educational seminars, phone consultations, advisory services and Digital Forensic Psychology services for law enforcement, attorneys and court systems. Dr. Nuccitelli will also offer trainings on cyber psychology, and digital citizenship.
At present, Dr. Nuccitelli consults with the American College of Forensic Examiners, ACFEI, and iPredator is the cover story in their winter issue of the Forensic Examiner. ACFEI is the largest forensic certification and educational professional organization in the country with 15,000 members and forensic experts. In addition to their kind gesture of publishing his theory, they have offered Dr. Nuccitelli to design and develop an iPredator training program for new and existing ACFEI members.
Media, community organizations and national activist organizations support iPredator Inc., Dr. Nuccitelli and the launch of their website, www.iPredator.co.
Protect, Prevent & Prevail!
Social Networking, Social Bookmarking, Referencing and Video Sites for iPredator Inc.
IPREDATOR INC. & IPREDATOR.CO
Launch Date: On or Before 1/2012 Website: www.ipredator.co
Google Plus: Username: iPredator Inc
URL: https://plus.google.com/b/115450385241542246842/115450385241542246842/about
Facebook: Username: The iPredator
URL: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-iPredator/314877728534332?sk=wall
MySpace: Username: iPredator URL: www.myspace.com/iPredator
LinkedIn: Username: The iPredator
URL: http://www.linkedin.com/in/iPredator
MyYearbook: Username: iPredator
URL: http://www.myyearbook.com/docnuccitelli
Hi5: Username: iPredator
URL: http://www.hi5.com/friend/profile/displayProfile.do?userid=607877780
Twitter: Username: TheiPredator Homepage: @TheiPredator
URL: http://twitter.com/TheiPredator
Bebo: Username: iPredator1 URL: http://www.bebo.com/iPredator1
Tagged: Username: Doc Nuccitelli URL: http://www.tagged.com/iPredator
Orkut: Username: iPredator Inc
URL: http://www.orkut.com/Main#Profile?uid=11335415686657362208
MeetUp: User ID: iPredator Name: iPredator Inc
Friendster: Username: iPredator
URL: http://www.friendster.com/avatars/124575327
Academia.edu: Username: DrMichaelNuccitelli
URL: independent.academia.edu/DrMichaelNuccitelli
Scribd: Username: iPredator URL: http://www.scribd.com/iPredator
Video Sites
YouTube: Username: iPredatorTeam
URL: http://www.youtube.com/user/iPredatorTeam
Hulu: Username: The iPredator
URL: http://www.hulu.com/profiles/theiPredator
Daily Motion: Username: iPredatorInc
URL: http://www.dailymotion.com/iPredatorInc
Metacafe: Username: iPredatorInc
URL: http://www.metacafe.com/channels/iPredatorInc/
MegaVideo: Username: iPredatorInc
MySpace Videos: Username: iPredator URL: www.myspace.com/iPredator
Yahoo Video: Username: iPredatorInc Email: TheiPredator@yahoo.com
Break: Username: iPredator URL: break.com/user/iPredator
TV.com: Username: iPredator Inc
URL: http://www.tv.com/users/iPredatorInc/profile.php
Google Video: Username: iPredator Inc Email: ipredatorinc@gmail.com
Vimeo: Username: iPredator URL: http://vimeo.com/user6815350
Stickam: Username: iPredator URL: http://www.stickam.com/ipredator
VEOH: Username: iPredator URL: http://www.veoh.com/users/iPredator
Video Bash: Username: iPredator
URL: http://www.videobash.com/profile/iPredator
LiveLeak: Username: iPredator URL: http://www.liveleak.com/c/iPredator
Social Bookmarking Sites
Digg: Username: iPredator URL: http://digg.com/iPredator/diggs
Tumblr: Username: iPredator_ URL: http://iPredator.tumblr.com/
StumbleUpon: Username: iPredator
URL: http://www.stumbleupon.com/stumbler/iPredator
Reddit: Username: iPredator Short Link: http://redd.it/guc2
URL: http://www.reddit.com/user/iPredator/
Delicious: Username: iPredator URL: www.delicious.com/ipredator
Slashdot: Username: iPredator URL: http://slashdot.org/~iPredator
Friendfeed: Username: iPredator URL: http://friendfeed.com/ipredator
Newsvine: Username: iPredator URL: http://ipredator.newsvine.com/
PROTECT, PREVENT & PREVAIL OVER IPREDATORS
IPI-2012 Assessment Collection
The IPI-2012 Assessment Collection are twelve inventories that assess the knowledge, awareness, probability and risk potential factors of falling prey to an iPredator attack. These twelve inventories were designed by Dr. Michael Nuccitelli, CEO of iPredator Inc., and a New York State licensed psychologist and certified forensic consultant.
After two years of extensive research and investigation on the criminological, forensic and psychological aspects of humanities interface with information and communications technology (ICT,) the IPI-2012 assessment collection is the first step in iPredator Inc.’s mission to stop nefarious, perverted and criminal online users from victimizing children and citizens of the United States. Dr. Nuccitelli and his colleagues seek to educate and protect Americans against cyber bullies, cyber stalkers, cyber criminals, cyber terrorist and online sexual predators.
In addition to designing the PI-2012 Assessment Collection , Dr. Nuccitelli coined his theoretical construct, iPredator, defined as “a child, adult or group who engages in exploitation, victimization, stalking, theft or disparagement of others using information and communications technology.” This construct is the foundation for all iPredator Inc. products and services and driving force in their endeavor to reduce online victimization, theft and slander.
The IPI-2012 Assessment Collection are twelve 100-300 item four choice diagnostic inventories designed to assess areas of online protection preparedness, internet prevention safety measures, online user risk potential and activities, iPredator awareness and protection acumen and capacity to prevail from iPredator attacks for children, adolescents and adults. A brief description of these inventories are listed below (IPI-P, IPI-300, IPI-T, IPI-A.)
To assess protection preparedness, internet prevention safety measures and the capacity to prevail from iPredator attacks for children, adolescents and adults, Dr. Nuccitelli developed diagnostic tools assessing the typologies of iPredator including: cyber bullying (target and offender,) cyber stalking, cybercrime and online sexual predators. A brief description of these inventories are listed below (IPI-CB, IPI-CBA, IPI-CS, IPI-C, IPI-IP.)
To assess protection preparedness, prevention measures and the capacity to prevail from iPredator attacks on business regarding cybercrime, corporate disparagement and internet libel issues, Dr. Nuccitelli developed a diagnostic tool for corporate entities. A brief description of this inventory is listed below (IPI-B.)
To assess, compile data and educate students, clients or patients regarding internet protection preparedness, victimization risk potential, internet safety prevention and capacity to prevail from iPredator attacks, Dr. Nuccitelli developed two diagnostic tools for educators, behavioral healthcare and forensic professionals. A brief description of these inventories are listed below (IPI-E, IPI-PSY.)
Once completed, the computational software provides the respondent with a risk probability score and a set of recommendations compiled from Dr. Nuccitelli’s extensive research and resource library. Each inventory is formatted and scored using Dr. Nuccitelli’s eleven factor categories highly relevant to iPredator prevention and protection. The list of IPI-2012 assessments available at iPredator.co are as follows:
A. iPredator Probability Inventory-Pediatric (IPI-P): 100 Questions Kids
B. iPredator Probability Inventory-300 (IPI-300): 300 Questions Kids
C. iPredator Probability Inventory-Teen (IPI-T): 100 Questions Teens
D. iPredator Probability Inventory-Adult (IPI-A): 100 Questions Adults
E. iPredator Probability Inventory-Cybercrime (IPI-C): 100 Questions Adults
F. iPredator Probability Inventory-Cyberstalking (IPI-CS): 100 Questions Young Adults, Adults & Public Figures
G. iPredator Probability Inventory-Cyber Bully (IPI-CB): 100 Questions Kids & Teens
H. iPredator Probability Inventory-Cyber Bully Abuser (IPI-CBA): 100 Questions Kids & Teens
I. iPredator Probability Inventory-Internet Predator (IPI-IP): 100 Questions Kids, Teens & Adults
J. iPredator Probability Inventory-Educator (IPI-E): 300 Questions Teachers
K. iPredator Probability Inventory-Psychologist (IPI-PSY): 100 Questions Healthcare
L. iPredator Probability Inventory-Business (IPI-B): 100 Questions Business
iPredator is Born December 2011
The expression of Dark Psychology spreads to the world of cyberspace. At the end of November, Dr. Nuccitelli launches his new website, www.iPredator.co, which will educate site visitors on cyber bullying, cyberstalking, cybercrime, digital reputation and online sexual predators. Since the birth of the internet 20 years ago, Dr. Nuccitelli is the first to introduce a theoretic construct defining all online users who abuse, taunt and victimize other online user. His construct and term is called iPredator. At the end of November, his theory will be posted in The Forensic Examiner published by the College of Forensic Examiners International. By the first of December, go to www.iPredator.co, and learn about iPredators.
The iP3141 Initiative & Network
iP3141 is a national initiative to establish an educational, homeland security and ipredator professional and public sector network to service, educate & monitor adults and their children of the 3141 counties and county equivalents in the 50 States and the District of Columbia.
The author of this initiative, Dr. Michael Nuccitelli, is a New York State licensed psychologist and certified forensic consultant. In September 2011, Dr. Nuccitelli founded iPredator Inc. (IPI) to provide educational and advisory products & services to online users and organizations on cyber bullying, cyber stalking, online sexual predators, cybercrime, internet libel, digital reputation and cyber psychology. His goals are to reduce victimization, theft and disparagement from online assailants and increase awareness in children, adults and businesses of online assailants. In addition to assisting citizens, IPI’s mission is to initiate a nationally sustained educational & awareness campaign and Dr. Nuccitelli’s recent plan of the United States iP3141 National Network.
Once implemented, the mission of the iP3141 Network is to increase awareness of the benefits and dangers of information and communications technology (ICT), decrease rates of cybercrime and human online victimization, educate citizens on homeland security and significantly increase education & awareness of pediatric online users via an ICT Educational Curriculum covering iPredator issues.
There are 3,141 counties and county equivalents in the 50 States and the District of Columbia. (United States Geological Survey, Department of the Interior.)
iPredator: A child, adult or group who engages in exploitation, victimization, stalking, theft or disparagement of others using information and communications technology (ICT.) iPredators are driven by deviant sexual fantasies, desires for power and control, retribution, religious fanaticism, political reprisal, psychiatric illness, perceptual distortions, peer acceptance or personal and financial gain. iPredators can be any age, either gender and not bound by socio-economic status or racial/national heritage.
Information and Communications Technology (ICT): Defined as “the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications (telephone lines and wireless signals), computers, middleware as well as necessary software, storage- and audio-visual systems, which enable users to create, access, store, transmit, and manipulate information. In other words, ICT consists of IT as well as telecommunication, broadcast media, all types of audio and video processing and transmission and network based control and monitoring functions.” (Wikipedia)
Within each county and county equivalent of the United States, there will be the following:
3 appointed professional officials: The county district attorney, the chief and/or appointed law enforcement official, and the superintendent of schools or an appointed superintendent representative.
1 elected government official: The county mayor or elected official that reports to the state elected governor.
4 appointed county private citizens: 1 private citizen representing county media, 1 private citizen representing all county educators, 1 private citizen representing county homeland security and 1 private citizen with expertise and/or trained in information and communications technology (ICT) and a proposed United States Library of ICT (to be developed.)
1 Federal iP3141 Network Website: 1 federally funded and managed central ICT website for county appointed officials & citizens to obtain all ICT information related to homeland security, state and federal laws, educational curriculums and the United States Library of ICT (to be developed.)
United States Library of ICT: A central database of all past, present and future information and communications technology (ICT) intelligence, news and trends available to all United States citizens. The six areas of focus will be on Education, Law and Law Enforcement, Homeland Security, Social Sciences, ICT and ICT Research & Development.
The iP3141 plan, designed by Dr. Nuccitelli, is a work in progress. Dr. Nuccitelli is only one American and he is seeking proactive citizens and organizations of America to assist him in his endeavors. In addition to the obvious benefits to Americans, Dr. Nuccitelli predicts it will help create new employment opportunities, expand homeland security awareness regarding cyber terrorism and cyber security threats, create a centralized forum for exchange of ICT, inspire educated consumerism for e-commerce & m-commerce and place the United States in the forefront globally in ICT. Given that the rapid expansion of ICT is both happening and inevitable, Dr. Nuccitelli would like to see 2012 become the year the United States initiates steps to become the leader in internet safety and cyber security for all online users.
Note to Reader
To anyone who reads my brief introduction to iP3141, feel free to contact me with ideas and insights on how to encourage a national discussion and steps to establishing the iP3141 Network, a United States Library of ICT and encouraging members of Capital Hill implement this network swiftly. As I research these areas, I come across numerous websites and services offering information & services relevant to ICT education, safety and protection. The goal is to create one centralized network that hosts all these forums, and most importantly, protect the welfare of our children.
Dr. Michael Nuccitelli
Dr. Michael Nuccitelli is a New York State licensed psychologist and certified forensic consultant. He completed his doctoral degree in clinical psychology in 1994 from the Adler School of Professional Psychology in Chicago, Illinois. In 1997, Dr. Nuccitelli became a licensed psychologist in New York State (License # 013009.) In 2006, he received the Certified Forensic Consultant designation from the American College of Forensic Examiners (Identification # 103110.)
In September 2011, Dr. Nuccitelli established iPredator Inc. offering the private & public sectors educational and advisory services regarding internet predators, cybercrime & digital forensic psychology. By November 2011, Dr. Nuccitelli and iPredator Inc. will launch their website, www.ipredator.info , offering site visitors an incredible amount of information, education and advisory services.
Over the last 25 years, Dr. Nuccitelli has worked in the mental health field in a variety of capacities with various clinical populations. Concurrent with his employment in mental health, Dr. Nuccitelli was a practicing psychologist for 10 years and worked in the field of forensic psychology conducting evaluations and consultation for attorneys and court systems.
Dr. Nuccitelli has extensive career and academic experiences. His areas of expertise include forensic & criminal psychology, digital forensic psychology, psychiatric & psychological disorders and developmental psychology. He is an avid follower of national & criminal news and enjoys educating the public by interacting with the media.
Dr. Nuccitelli continues to investigate and expand his construct he has designed and trademarked called iPredator. He presently consults with the American College of Forensic Examiners to become the resource and hub for Americans seeking information on ipredators, digital/computer forensics, cyber security and training programs for the professional sector and law enforcement.
Michael Nuccitelli Psy.D., C.F.C. NYS Licensed Psychologist
iPredator Updated
iPredator: A Global Internet Predator Theory, 2nd edit, is now posted at my Scribd account: http://www.scribd.com/doc/61097432/iPredator.
With each revision, I get closer to understanding the psychology, profiles and modus operandi of those who molest, abuse, taunt, victimize and steal from others online. Online sexual predators, cyber bullies, cyber stalkers, cyber criminals and child predators fall within the iPredator construct.
Most importantly, watch the 3-minute FBI video before you read the article posted at the table of contents. Even if you don’t read my theory, at least watch the video and take your blood pressure medication first.
iPredators are real and growing. Remember, there’s no internet police or federal authorities monitoring cyberspace. Although I like it that way, online users need to learn how to protect themselves, and most importantly, their children. Cyber bullies are a segment of iPredator, and no doubt, a real problem. The real perverse profiles are the online child sexual predators and predatory class cyberstalkers. Can you say Psychopath? Silence of the Lambs introduced the world to Hannibal Lecter, a fictional psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer. As a forensic and criminal psychologist, I present you the Real Cyber Hannibal Lecter. His name is iPredator. Can you count 750,000? Watch the FBI video and you’ll know what I mean.
Welcome to the unseemly and perverse world of iPredator.
Cyber Bully, Cyber Bullying, iPredator & Dark Psychology
90 Hours of research compiled into 60+ pages on Cyber Bullying. All links I personally read and made sure were safe and graphs click through to larger images. I wrote this for people with child welfare in mind. Use this report to pass on to parents, professionals or educators. My resource link list at the end is smoking! Enjoy! Doc Nuccitelli’s Scribd link: http://www.scribd.com/doc/68147162/Cyber-Bully-Cyber-Bullying
PS: I’ve concluded there are 3 groups of cyber bullies after researching the topic and briefly introduce these three constructs in the report. The Ignorant Cyberbully, The Righteous Cyberbully, and the most deviant of the three, The Narcissistic Cyberbully.
As iPredator Breeds, America Must Mobilize
As a forensic psychologist with expertise in theoretical criminology, forensic psychology and the infant field of cyber psychology, I’ve devised a psychological, sociological & criminological construct for the expanding & unregulated dimension known as cyberspace. Over the course of several articles to follow in the coming weeks, I will present my theoretic construct I’ve termed iPredator™. I hope to encourage others to exercise awareness and become proactive by educating their colleagues, friends and loved ones on the prospective hazards all online users face when interacting with digital technology without prowess or caution. I strongly believe iPredator is the modern-day criminal & psychological reprobate. This new breed of criminal, deviant, bully or aggressor uses digital technology and telecommunications to stalk, track and victimize their prey.
Simply defined, iPredator is anyone who uses digital technology to abuse, assault, steal and victimize others. My goal, and I hope I can encourage this great country of ours to join in my campaign, is to educate the United States along with the rest of the planet on learning to be cognizant of iPredators that lurk inside cyberspace trolling to ill-treat online users who are vulnerable, discouraged or unaware of their presence. As I staunchly believe the pervasive expansion of the internet is beneficial to the entire planet, it is paramount a sustained educational and awareness campaign geared to all online users, starting from early childhood and carried through adulthood, begin immediately.
Digital technology and telecommunications have the potential to create an international paradigm shift proudly termed a “global family network.” The benefits to impoverished nations would be fantastic ranging from educational advancements to rapid emergency notification and preparation of impending natural disasters, famine and strife. To ensure this global evolution succeeds, all present and future online users must learn prevention and recognition of the potential dangers and societal detriments of cyber bullying, cyber stalking, cybercrime and online sexual predators. From a national security standpoint, governments and citizens alike need to develop structured strategies to mitigate cyber terrorism and cyber warfare. As I’ll illustrate in a later article discussing my proposed 5PV factor model of iPredator™, the symbolic equation is depicted as follows:
iPrevention = iPreservation
This simplistic symbolic equation not only applies to all online users, but to state and federal governments as well compelled to design and institute homeland security measures with heavy emphasis on cyber defense and network security.
For anyone who suspects October being Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) as overblown and/or political posturing, simply Google the 2011 Norton Cybercrime Report and I think you will concur with their “call to action.” $388 billion dollars lost to cybercrime in 24 countries over the past twelve months. Cybercrime is bigger than the global black market in marijuana, cocaine and heroin combined at $288 billion dollars.
If this doesn’t encourage passive bystanders to initiate a cyber safety and prevention educational plan, I recommend the reader to Google the keyword phrases cyber bullying statistics, cyber stalking facts , online sexual predators or children internet pornography statistics. As all criminal, deviant and abusive elements of society are gradually permeating cyberspace, it is up to the citizens of America and other nations to become proactive in their efforts to stop iPredators from victimizes children, adults and senior citizens.
Although there are no estimates to date on the quantities of iPredators skulking about online striving to abuse, victimize and steal from children and adults, I would venture to estimate the ratio is at least 1000 to 1. For every 1000 iPredators, there is 1 citizen, parent or professional actively engaged in a proactive activist association or working in their community to eradicate and bring to justice these degenerate iPredators. Clearly, the iPredators goal is to either initiate physical contact with their target victim(s) and/or pilfer their bank accounts and life savings. Without belaboring the reader with a plethora of statistics, provided are a few general statistics on the growth of the internet and the impact iPredators have had to date.
As of 2011, Nielsen Online, International Telecommunications Union, GfK and World Population Stats estimate 2 billion people globally are internet users, having grown by 480% from 2000-2011. Despite its already significant presence, the number of internet users will continue to grow at an accelerated rate with the growth of mobile digital technology and the increasing popularity and importance of social media for all aspects of society. The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) offers its 2010 Internet Crime Report, confirming cybercrime is an undeterred growing problem. Cybercrime, cyber bullying, cyber stalking, online sexual predators, online harassment and libel are matters growing quickly. Some relevant statistics are as follows:
I. A Consumer Reports survey conducted in the US in early 2011 revealed the following statistic: One million children were harassed, threatened or subjected to other forms of cyber bullying on Facebook in the past year.
II. According to the FBI, the number of online sexual predators is 750,000 and consistently growing every year.
III. Child pornography is one of the fastest growing businesses online, and the content is becoming much worse. In 2008, Internet Watch Foundation found 1,536 individual child abuse domains.
IV. The 2006 British Crime Survey estimated up to 5 million people experience stalking each year. Although there are no official statistics on the percentage estimated of victims cyber stalked, experts predicted then in 2006 as they do now in 2011, cyber stalking is predicted to climb with the expansion of digital technology.
V. According to a recent i-SAFE survey, half of adolescents have been cyber bullied, while the same number has engaged in cyber bullying. A truly alarming reality for children & teens still fragile in their need to be liked and accepted by their peers.
VI. In 2010, the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received the second-highest number of complaints since its inception. IC3 also reached a major milestone in 2011 when it received its two-millionth complaint. On average, IC3 receives and processes 25,000 complaints per month.
VII. Released September 2011, the Norton 2011 Cybercrime Report revealed cybercrime cost adults 388 billion dollars. Cybercrime is bigger than the global black market in marijuana, cocaine & heroin combined at 288 billion dollars and approaching the value of all global drug trafficking at 411 billion dollars.
VIII. Despite warnings from public and private institutions about the growth of iPredators encouraging parents to practice internet safety and cyber security, only 1/3 of households with internet access are actively protecting their children with filtering or blocking software on their home computers (Center for Missing and Exploited Children.)
These statistics provided, are merely a “drop in the bucket” as it relates to the widespread growth and impact iPredators have on our communities across America and throughout all nations internationally. Focusing on the United States, the first step to reducing iPredator growth and the damage they cause begins with responsiveness. Awareness as a societal goal is an endeavor that can be achieved promptly by taking action within our communities and online. Taking action involves making a decision to becoming educated on iPredators and then participating in community activism locally and/or online. If time were available, both offline and online activism would be the most desirable.
To achieve these objectives, it merely takes the will to do so and the determination to make a difference. If time or finances are restrictive, many reputable associations and organizations online that are proactive and passionate about their social activism are readily available. Being invested in my passion to one day initiate a sustained national prevention education campaign for America, I am involved with 100 or so organizations, associations and experts I monitor and learn from.
If you’re interested in getting started at becoming a proactive supporter of internet safety, cyber security, child welfare, education or professional development, I have compiled a brief list of entities you can start with that are reputable and I interact with them often. Jaemi Levine, Executive Director of Mothers Against Predators, Heaven’s Halo, International Alliance Against Child Abuse, Nancy Ferrari Media, Abuse Freedom United, Spiritually Raw Foundation, King James Express For Kidz and Predator Magazine. All of these organizations and associations can be accessed via Facebook or can be found by doing a computer search.
If you are an educator and seeking learning more about bullying issues, there is a website hosted by a New Jersey Teacher by the name of James H Burns who has compiled an enormous amount of information on bullying and cyber bullying available at his website, Bully Proof Class Room. If you are a professional interested in becoming involved in the forensic sciences, I highly recommend the American College of Forensic Examiners International (ACFEI.)
The organizations I’ve just listed, are all operated by professional men and women devoted to their missions of defending children, adults and our country from both iPredators and assailants residing within their communities. As encouraged earlier, the first step to becoming proactive is making the decision to be determined you will commit to a sustained effort. By engaging with these organizations and others, you will soon fall into the category of a proactive social activist American.
I present to you a concept I hope one day is taught in every school to every child so they may travel through the digital universe aware and insulated from the dangers of iPredator. It is this definition that represents the entirety of all those who seek to hurt others online for various reasons.
iPredator™: A child, adult or group who engages in psychological and/or physical victimization, theft or disparagement of others. They are motivated by; peer acceptance, malice, spite and criminal or deviant intent using digital technology, telecommunications or mobile devices. iPredators are driven by deviant sexual fantasies, aggressive desires for power and control, retribution, religious fanaticism, political reprisal, psychiatric illness, psychological distortions and personal or monetary gain. iPredators can be any age, either sex and are bound by neither socio-economic status nor racial/national heritage.
“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” Plato (427 BC – 347 BC)
Dr. Michael Nuccitelli
Dr. Michael Nuccitelli is a New York State licensed psychologist and certified forensic consultant. He completed his doctoral degree in clinical psychology in 1994 from the Adler School of Professional Psychology in Chicago, Illinois. In 1997, Dr. Nuccitelli became a licensed psychologist in New York State (License # 013009.) In 2006, he received the Certified Forensic Consultant designation from the American College of Forensic Examiners (Identification # 103110.)
In September 2011, Dr. Nuccitelli established iPredator Inc. offering the private & public sectors educational and advisory services regarding internet predators, cybercrime & digital forensic psychology. By October 2011, Dr. Nuccitelli and iPredator Inc. will launch their website offering site visitors an incredible amount of information, education and advisory services.
Over the last 25 years, Dr. Nuccitelli has worked in the mental health field in a variety of capacities with various clinical populations. Concurrent with his employment in mental health, Dr. Nuccitelli was a practicing psychologist for 10 years and worked in the field of forensic psychology conducting evaluations and consultation for attorneys and court systems.
Dr. Nuccitelli has extensive career and academic experiences. His areas of expertise include forensic psychology, criminal psychology, theoretical criminology, digital/computer forensic psychology, human sexuality, psychiatric illness, psychological issues and developmental psychology. He is an avid follower of national & criminal news and enjoys educating the public by interacting with the media.
Dr. Nuccitelli continues to investigate and expand his construct he has designed and trademarked called iPredator. He presently consults with the American College of Forensic Examiners to become the resource and hub for Americans seeking information on digital/computer forensics, internet predators, cyber security and training programs for the professional sector and law enforcement.
Michael Nuccitelli Psy.D., C.F.C.
NYS Licensed Psychologist Email: drnucc@hotmail.com Blog: www.DarkPsychology.co Scribd: www.scribd.com/ipredator Facebook: The iPredator Linked In: The iPredator Supporting Organization: ACFEI
iPredator Continues to Grow in Size and Impact
Over the coming days, I’ll be posting portions of my recently updated theoretic construct of iPredator. Simply defined for brevity in this post, iPredator is anyone who uses digital technology to abuse, assault, steal and victimize others. My goal, and I hope I can encourage this great country of ours to join, is to educate our nation along with the rest of the planet on learning to respect with caution the iPredator that lurks inside cyberspace. Digital technology and telecommunications have the potential to create a planetary paradigm shift proudly coined as a “global family network.”
The benefits to impoverished nations would be fantastic ranging from educational advancements to rapid emergency notification and preparation of impending disasters. To ensure this global evolution succeeds, all present and future online users must learn victimization prevention and recognition of the potential dangers and detriments of cyber bullying, cyber stalking, cybercrime and online sexual predators. If anyone thinks I’m hyperbolizing the potential damage iPredators could cause, simply Google the Norton 2011 Cybercrime Report and I think you will concur with my concerns.
I present to you a definition I hope one day is taught in every school to every child so they may travel through the digital universe insulated from the dangers of iPredator.
“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” Plato (427 BC – 347 BC)
As a forensic psychologist with expertise in theoretical criminology and abnormal psychology, I’ve devised a psychological, sociological & criminological construct for the emerging dimension known as cyberspace. In the posts that will follow, I will introduce to you my conclusionary findings of what I’ve termed iPredator who I believe to be the modern-day criminal/psychological reprobate. This new breed of evil uses digital technology and telecommunications to find, track and victimize their prey.
iPredator™: A child, adult or group who engages in psychological and/or physical victimization, theft or disparagement of others. They are motivated by; peer acceptance, malice, spite and criminal or deviant intent using digital technology, telecommunications or mobile devices. iPredators are driven by deviant sexual fantasies, aggressive desires for power and control, retribution, religious fanaticism, political reprisal, psychiatric illness, psychological distortions and personal or monetary gain. iPredators can be any age, either sex and are bound by neither socio-economic status nor racial/national heritage.
On May 4, 2011, William Francis Melchert-Dinkel was convicted of two counts of assisted suicide in the state of Minnesota. State prosecutors proved he posed online as a young, depressed female nurse involved with encouraging, advising and assisting young people and adults with committing suicide through the Internet.
Prosecutors proved Melchert-Dinkel was obsessed with hanging, suicide and searching out potential suicide victims online. Court documents said Melchert-Dinkel told police he did it for the “thrill of the chase.” He acknowledged participating in online chats about suicide with an estimated 20 people, entered into bogus suicide pacts with ten and five of them he believed killed themselves. He was found guilty of encouraging people to commit suicide while he watched voyeuristically on a webcam and became sexually aroused.
The state’s evidence proved he posed as a suicidal female nurse to win his victims’ trust, entered into false suicide pacts with them and then offered detailed instructions and advice on the most efficient ways to take their own lives. He was sentenced on May 4, 2011, to 360 days in jail. Welcome to the unseemly and perverse world of the iPredator.
Technological advancements have changed the way humanity interacts, exchanges and accesses information. Smartphones, mobile devices and social media technologies are the latest in a succession of advancements growing at a feverish pace. It’s often difficult to imagine that the everyday internet used by two billion people globally celebrated its 20th birthday in 2011.
As of 2011, Nielsen Online, International Telecommunications Union, GfK and World Population Stats estimate two billion people globally are internet users having grown by 480% from 2000-2011. Despite its already significant impact, the pace of new-technology introductions and number of Internet users will continue to grow at an accelerated rate with access to and the exchange of information being a priori.
Although digital technology is still in its infancy, humanity has already been trammeled by its vortex of ever-evolving technology with incredible speed and deepening complacency. Humanity has been seduced by the notion that more technology translates into a better quality of life. Along with this distorted societal perception, humanity also fails to heed the warnings of prophetic authors of the past century that give us chilling glimpses of a dystopian society.
Dystopia in literature depicts a society on the catastrophic edge of destruction and authoritarian control. Personal freedoms are expelled from society, leaving each individual under the mercy of the government’s eccentric rules and demands. As seen at the individual level, the effects of being in such an environment are both devastating and shocking. In such an environment, the individual is demoralized, is conditioned in both thoughts and actions to adhere to administrative goals and loses any sort of individualism due to the constraints placed on free will.
Nowhere is the picture of dystopia more clearly depicted than through the literary genre of science fiction. Everywhere, it seems, we can find the earmarks of a society that has been lulled into a false, almost paralytic sense of trust and faith in technology over the human spirit and ingenuity. Without pause or reservation, we have succumbed to the erroneous belief that with an increase in access to technology and mass communication, we are more connected to one another creating a proverbial “global family
The phenomenon of networking “that has us in its thrall is not what we think it is, but rather what we would like to believe it to be. Simply put, we are deluded into thinking that it merely is a way for us to connect and communicate with others.
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{iPredator Inc.}
iPredator Inc. was founded in September 2011 to provide educational and advisory products & services to consumers and organizations on cyber bullying, cyber stalking, online sexual predators, cybercrime, Internet libel, digital reputation and cyber psychology. Owned and operated by a New York State licensed psychologist and certified forensic consultant, his goal is to reduce victimization, theft and disparagement from online assailants. In addition to assisting citizens, iPredator Inc.'s mission is to initiate a nationally sustained educational & awareness campaign with the help of the highly reputable forensic organization he is affiliated with, the American College of Forensics Examiners. By May 31, 2012, iPredator Inc. will launch their website, www.iPredator.co , offering an enormous free resource library for site visitors.
As Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Nuccitelli became interested in the psychology and profiling of those who use digital technology to abuse, steal, taunt and victimize others online in 2009. It is now approaching 2012, and Dr. Nuccitelli has grown even more determined to develop victimization prevention & intervention strategies for online users utilizing education, marketing and media tactics. He completed his doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology in 1994 from the Adler School of Professional Psychology in Chicago, Illinois. In 1997, Dr. Nuccitelli became a licensed psychologist in New York State (License # 013009.) In 2006, he received the Certified Forensic Consultant designation from the American College of Forensic Examiners (Identification # 103110.)
At the center of iPredator Inc.'s products, services and marketing strategy is Dr. Nuccitelli's theoretical construct, iPredator, which is in the final stages of trademarking. Over the last 2 years, Dr. Nuccitelli has dedicated himself to learning the psychological composition of those who are engaged in malevolent activities online. The definition is as follows:
iPredator™: A child, adult or group who engages in exploitation, victimization, stalking, theft or disparagement of others using information and communications technology (ICT.) iPredators are driven by deviant sexual fantasies, desires for power and control, retribution, religious fanaticism, political reprisal, psychiatric illness, perceptual distortions, peer acceptance or personal and financial gain. iPredators can be any age, either gender and not bound by socio-economic status or racial/national heritage.
Over the last two years, Dr. Nuccitelli has compiled an enormous database leading to his development of online risk probability assessments designed for parents, businesses, teens and young adults, adults and public figures. Concurrent with these assessments, iPredator Inc. will offer a unique advisory-based membership service, iPredator Protected, on the appropriate strategies for prevention, intervention and guidance if targeted by an iPredator. iPredator Inc. services will include trainings, educational seminars, phone consultations, advisory services and Digital Forensic Psychology services for law enforcement, attorneys and court systems. Dr. Nuccitelli will also offer trainings on cyber psychology, and digital citizenship.
At present, Dr. Nuccitelli consults with the American College of Forensic Examiners, ACFEI, and iPredator is the cover story in their winter issue of the Forensic Examiner. ACFEI is the largest forensic certification and educational professional organization in the country with 15,000 members and forensic experts. In addition to their kind gesture of publishing his theory, they have offered Dr. Nuccitelli to design and develop an iPredator training program for new and existing ACFEI members.
Media, community organizations and national activist organizations support iPredator Inc., Dr. Nuccitelli and the launch of their website, www.iPredator.co.
Protect, Prevent & Prevail!
{Current Moon Phase}
New Moon The moon is 28 days old
Distance: 63 earth radii
Ecliptic latitude: 2 degrees
Ecliptic longitude: 42 degrees