Online harassing surveillance, or cyberstalking, is a form of digital abuse in which one person persistently monitors another through the internet, causing fear or distress.
Cyberstalking violates the privacy of those subjected to it and can take various forms. For example, a person may receive continuous messages or calls even after asking for them to stop, or repeated friend requests from multiple accounts despite blocking them. Cyberstalking also includes monitoring profiles, comments, check-ins, or posts with the aim of controlling someone’s private life, as well as the use of location-tracking tools such as GPS. It often manifests through hacking accounts or emails to monitor messages and activities, as well as sending threatening messages that create fear or anxiety and violate the will of the person receiving them.
Cyberstalking can significantly affect the mental health of those who experience it. Research indicates that depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and suicidal ideation frequently follow incidents of online harassing surveillance [1,2]. It is also notable that women and LGBTQI+ individuals experience cyberstalking at higher rates [3,4].Although it is among the most common forms of digital gender-based violence, individuals who experience cyberstalking often do not report incidents to authorities. According to a recent study from the CyberEqual project—implemented, among others, by the organization DATAWO—in Greece, 21.2% of participants reported having witnessed an incident of cyberstalking, 15.4% knew someone who had experienced online harassing surveillance, while only 6.7% reported having personally experienced this form of digital violence [5].
The Istanbul Convention (on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence) refers to stalking in Article 34, which states: “Parties shall take the necessary legislative or other measures to ensure that the intentional conduct of repeatedly engaging in threatening behavior directed at another person, causing them to fear for their safety, is criminalised.”Furthermore, Directive (EU) 2024/1385 on combating violence against women and domestic violence includes cyberstalking among the forms of violence that must be criminalised within the EU. In particular, Article 6 of the Directive provides that: “Member States shall ensure that the intentional conduct of repeatedly or continuously placing another person under surveillance, without that person’s consent or legal authorisation, by means of information and communication technologies, for the purpose of tracking or monitoring that person’s movements and activities, where such conduct is likely to cause serious harm to that person, is punishable as a criminal offence.”In the Greek legal system, the transposition of Directive (EU) 2024/1385 through Law 5172/2025 led to amendments to both the Penal Code and Law 3500/2006 on combating domestic violence.
Cyberstalking was established as a criminal offence (harassing cyber-surveillance) under Article 7 of Law 5172/2025, which amended Article 336 of the Penal Code concerning threats. Specifically, paragraph 1A was added to Article 336, stating: “Anyone who places another person under continuous or repeated surveillance using information and communication technologies, with the intent to track or monitor their movements and activities, causing them fear or distress, shall be punished with imprisonment of up to two (2) years.”Article 7 (Domestic unlawful violence and threats) of Law 3500/2006 was also amended to include cases of domestic cyberstalking.
Nevertheless, the number of cyberstalking cases reported to Greek authorities remains relatively low. According to data from the Hellenic Police collected by the Observatory for Gender Equality regarding online violence, from the Department for Combating Gender-Based Violence of the Directorate of Social Policing, only 25 cases of online harassing surveillance were reported in 2025. Notably, in 10 out of these 25 reported cases, the relationship between victim and perpetrator was recorded, and all of them fell within the context of intimate partner or domestic violence [6].
You can learn more about cyberstalking and other forms of digital gender-based violence through the chatbot “DATAWO Bot.” In addition to providing information, DATAWO Bot offers guidance on practical protection steps and the possibility of receiving legal counselling.
How to use the chatbot:Visit the website datawo.org or the DATAWO pages on Facebook and Instagram, start a conversation while maintaining your anonymity, and receive step-by-step guidance.
Sources
1. Stevens, F., Nurse, J. R. C., & Arief, B. (2021). Cyber Stalking, Cyber Harassment, and Adult Mental Health: A Systematic Review. Cyberpsychology, behavior and social networking, 24(6), 367–376. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2020.02532. UN News. (2025, March 13). ‘Anxiety, paranoia, fear’: The consequences of digital violence against women. https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/03/11610763. Janickyj, M., Blom, N., & Tanczer, L. M. (2025). Online and offline stalking victimisation in the Crime Survey for England and Wales: Its predictors and victim/survivors’ views on criminalisation.
The British Journal of Criminology. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azaf0644. Edwards, K. M., Camp, E. E., Lim, S., Logan, T. K., Shorey, R. C., & Babchuk, W. (2022). Stalking among sexual and gender minorities: A systematic literature review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 66, Artículo 101777. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2022.1017775. CyberEqual. (2025, Ιούνιος 27).
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=122141349008627960&set=pcb.1221413490686279606.
6η https://isotita.gr/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/6n-etisia-ekthesi-gia-ti-via-kata-twn-gynaikwn.pdfΝομοθεσίαCouncil of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence. (2011). Istanbul. Available at: Council of Europe – Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (CETS No. 210) – Translations – Treaty Office (coe.int).Directive (EU) 2024/1385 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 May 2024 on combating violence against women and domestic violence. Available at: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2024/1385/oj/engΝ. 3500/2006 (ΦΕΚ Α’ 232/24-10-2006)Ν. 4619/2019 (ΦΕΚ Α’ 95/11-06-2019)N. 5172/2025 (ΦΕΚ Α 10/29.01.2025)
This project is implemented the programme “POWER – Promoting Organisations empWerment to guarantee women’s human rights and stop gender-based violence”, coordinated by WeWorld (WW), in collaboration with ACTIONAID HELLAS (AAH) and Asociación Bienestar y Desarrollo (ABD). #SAFEline #DigitalGenderBasedViolence #DigitalSafety #KnowYourRights #CyberViolence
POWER is co-funded by the European Union through the programme “Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values” (CERV-2023-DAPHNE). The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union, the European Commission, or ACTIONAID HELLAS. Neither the European Union, the European Commission, nor ACTIONAID HELLAS can be held responsible for the views expressed.
