INTELLIGENT EMAIL ANALYSIS

Intelligent Email Analysis



Intelligent Email Analysis

Literature Review

Cyberstalking is a relatively new phenomenon. With access to a computer, stalkers' identities and whereabouts can remain undetected. They can engage in stalking and harassment behaviors easily and cheaply, and they can wreak havoc on the lives of victims with little effort. Online, stalkers can get to their victims via chat rooms, message boards, discussion boards, email, instant messaging, texting, posting pictures or information on Web sites, and hacking into financial, social networking, and professional accounts. In these contexts, the cyber-stalker can seem to be everywhere. He or she can post messages that seem to be from the victim, and can give out personal information about the victim so that others can contact or harass the victim. Stalkers can text their victims frequently indicating they know where their victims are (Burnett, 2009). Cyberstalkers can hack into victims' school accounts and change their class schedules and post discussion messages that look like they are from the victims. The victim may have his or her accounts frozen, drained, closed, or altered. Victims have had various types of accounts opened in their names. For example, stalkers can open an email account in the victim's name and send inappropriate emails to co-workers and friends. Victims have had pictures of themselves that have been altered so that they seem to be naked posted on message boards where their friends, families, and co-workers may see them. Or, these pictures may be posted with personal information and solicitations to strangers. A computer-savvy stalker can set up a program to have hundreds, if not thousands, of emails sent to his or her victim daily (Burnett, 2009). He or she can hack into a victim's bank account and cancel automatic bill payment. In essence, cyberstalkers, with only a small amount of personal information about the victim can steal the victim's identity and completely destroy his or her life. It is obvious that even though cyberstalking is a new form of stalking, the methods and consequences can, and are, just as dangerous and devastating as more traditional forms of stalking.

It can be said that the use of the Intelligent Email Analysis tool is a kind of cyberstalking. Though the purpose of its use is different from the traditional concept of cyberstalking, yet, it can be said that cyberstalking, according to the law is a crime. Cyberstalking is a relatively new phenomenon. So new in fact that many in the general public do not know what it entails (Campaign Monitor, 2010). Though researchers and law enforcement professionals have adopted a wide array of definitions, cyberstalking is most generally defined as any course of conduct that utilizes electronic communication devices to knowingly and willingly commit any of the following acts on two or more occasions, with no legitimate purpose:

Contact or attempt to contact someone after being requested by that person to desist from contacting them.

Persistently harass, torment, or terrorize someone.

Steal or attempt to steal someone's identity or information about that person, harming that ...