Technology-facilitated stalking and abuse is the use of technology (such as the internet, social media, mobile phones, computers, and surveillance devices) to stalk and perpetrate abuse on a person.

Such behaviour includes:

• Making numerous and unwanted calls to a person’s mobile phone
• Sending threatening and/or abusive messages (text messaging, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Facebook messaging, Twitter)
• Hacking into a person’s email or social media account to discover information about them
• Hacking into a person’s email or social media account to impersonate them and send abusive messages to family/friends of that person
• Using surveillance devices to spy on a person
• Using tracking devices to follow a person
• Sharing, or threatening to share, intimate pictures of a person

The following legal guides look at four primary areas of law relevant to people experiencing technology-facilitated stalking and abuse.

Legal Guide to Relevant Criminal Offences in WA
This guide looks at the various criminal offences that may apply to a person who is perpetrating technology-facilitated stalking and abuse.

Legal Guide to Surveillance Legislation in WA
This guide looks at what the law says about surveillance devices – when it is an offence to use them and what the restrictions are on sharing information/videos/pictures obtained through the use of surveillance devices.

Legal Guide to Family Violence Restraining Orders in WA
This guide looks at how people can obtain protection orders from the court to protect them from technology-facilitated stalking and abuse. In Western Australia these protection orders are called Family Violence Restraining Orders (VROs).

Legal Guide to Image-Based Abuse Legislation in WA
This guide looks at what the law says about image-based abuse – when it is an offence to record or distribute intimate images and what legal options exist for victims of image-based abuse.

DISCLAIMER: The use of technology-facilitated abuse is a developing area of the law. The legal information, examples and scenarios contained in the guide are intended to explain the law as it stands at publication in general terms only and are not legal advice. They cannot be relied upon or applied by readers in their own cases. Each set of circumstances needs to be looked at individually. You should seek legal advice about your own particular circumstances.

Language

‘Victim’ vs ‘Survivor’

Some women who are experiencing, or who have experienced, domestic violence use the term ‘victim’ of domestic violence to describe themselves. Others believe the term ‘survivor’ of domestic violence more accurately reflects their experience.

Whilst acknowledging that each woman’s experience is unique and individual to her circumstances, for consistency, these guides will refer to women who are experiencing, or who have experienced, domestic violence as ‘victim-survivors’ of domestic violence.

Gender

Terminology

Criminal Offence (or offence)

A criminal offence is an offence against the State. It is commonly referred to as ‘breaking the law’.

Summary offence

Less serious offences (such as obscenity or loitering), are known as summary offences. Summary offences are dealt with by the Magistrates Court.

Indictable (serious) offence

More serious offences (such as murder, manslaughter, sexual assault) are known as indictable offences. Indictable offences are heard by the District Court or the Supreme Court.

Charge

When a person is charged with an offence, it means that the police have formally accused that person of committing an offence.

Conviction

When a person is convicted of an offence, it means that person has either pleaded guilty to committing the offence, or a court has found that person guilty of committing the offence.