Trolled Online: What You Can Do When You’re Bullied on Social Media

An internet "troll" is someone who harasses others in response to other peoples' opinions or even just their participation online.

Trolling happens in all corners of the internet and became a tool (or a weapon) during the 2016 presidential campaign. Most trolling occurs on social networking sites, like Twitter and Facebook, but trolls also harass people in the comment sections of blogs and websites. People get trolled on gaming sites, and even on dating sites, so the reality is that almost anyone with a significant online presence can be targeted by a troll. Some social media sites have responded to the scourge by bolstering policies dealing with abusive content.

Most trolls are not media pariahs and most people targeted by them do not have the platform of a widely-read journalist or movie star. This isn't to say that if you find yourself at the receiving end of a troll campaign, you are necessarily helpless.

Legal Remedies to Address Trolling

You can respond in one or more ways to a troll, depending on the situation. Some trolls are simply annoying jerks who continually hover like a gnat in your face. Some trolls make threats but are not actually dangerous. A few are stalkers and predators who intend harm. How you choose to respond depends on the nature of the trolling, the type of internet site on which it occurs, and the level of threat presented.

While the scope of relevant criminal and civil laws is somewhat limited, there are some legal remedies that you can turn to if you are trolled.

• Criminal laws. Trolling is not a crime under federal law. But under the laws of many states, harassment, stalking, and bullying are illegal. For more information, see Cyberbullying Laws by State.
• Civil laws. When a troll uses false, disparaging language to attack a target, these acts may constitute online defamation. And, if the troll's attack is egregiously personal and offensive, the troll may be inflicting emotional distress on the victim. These are torts, and the victim may file a civil lawsuit against the troll for damages.

The civil remedies available to a victim of an online troll vary from state to state. For more information, see Can a Cyberbullying Victim Sue for Future Damages?

Call the Police

If a troll threatens physical violence or reveals private information that may put you at risk of harm, contact the cops.

And, if someone is posting intimate images of you without your consent, see Revenge Porn: Laws & Penalties, as well as our state-specific articles on revenge porn laws in your state.

Defenses to Trolling Allegations

A troll may raise a First Amendment free speech defense to criminal prosecution for online comments. Such a defense is more likely to succeed when the object of the harassment is a public figure, rather than someone who has not entered the public arena.

Efforts to sue or prosecute online service providers will likely come up against protections for those entities embedded in the Communications Decency Act, which exempts the providers from liability for material posted by others. (For more information on this Act, see When Is an ISP Liable for the Acts of Its Subscribers?)

Practical Responses to Trolling

In addition to any legal options that a person targeted by a troll may have, non-legal responses include the following.

• Don't feed the troll. Most trolls just want attention. You "feed" trolls by engaging with them, so if you ignore them, they sometimes give up.
• Block them. Unfriend or block a troll, if possible. Of course, this won't stop the troll from posting offensive comments or tweets about you or prevent others from taking up the cudgel against you, too.
• Report them. Report the troll to the online service. Check the site's terms of service to see if the troll is in violation.
• Discuss. Start a discussion of the trolling in hopes that you'll marshal support and inspire responses that may discourage the troll. (This, of course, "feeds" the trolls, but it might work when ignoring them doesn't.)
• Expose. Trolls skulk in anonymity and may back off if exposed. You can get some information on the sites themselves. Twitter, for example, requires users to provide a name and username, which are publicly available. However, Twitter allows users to give pseudonyms. Check the privacy policy of any site in question to find out what user information is publicly available.
• Exit. You always have the ultimate option—to exit the online site. A less extreme measure is to change one's username and/or delete one's profile.

Policies for Your Own Blogs and Websites

One way to take control of what's written about you is to present your online self on your own terms—on your own website or blog. You can literally write the rules of engagement on your own site. An effective anti-harassment comment policy includes:

• barring harassing comments
• requiring user identities
• reserving the right to remove and block harassing comments, and
• prohibiting off-topic rants, user identity theft, threats, or hate speech.

Check the online tools that can help you fight trolls on your own site, such as "stealth banning" (blocks trolls or spammers) and SMC4 software (analyzes inbound communication), among others.

Keep Your Perspective

Most trolls are just low-risk blowhards. Mudslinging is part of public engagement and the internet is no exception—vigorous give-and-take is the point of the "marketplace of ideas." Not all aggressive dissent or criticism is trolling, but there is no bright line. Be aware that you assume some risk of push-back when you enter the public cybersphere.