With the growing reach of Internet, users have become even more vulnerable to cyber bullying. Cyber bullying is a term used for intentional, repeated and hostile behavior to harm others. This may be done by sending across offensive emails or the bully might get access to the user’s personal information. Whatever the case may be but this is a serious crime.
Cyber bullies have been known to disclose personal data at forums or websites or they can also pose as the identity of the victim and write something that will defame or ridicule them. The victims are usually school going teens who are more prone to such attacks. The result may be low self esteem, increased suicidal tendencies, anger, depression etc. as the mind is quite impressionable at this age.
The good news is that recently a software firm has introduced a software that will block cyber bullies.The firm, NextBox Blue has created a Cyber Bullying Prevention Engine to block, quarantine, and report offensive emails. In Australia, this software is already being used by many private schools.
On the request of such schools, this engine was created. It works on the concept of blocking emails which contain a particular keyword. The schools were asked to provide a list of the words most commonly used by the cyber bullies. These specific words are then fed into the engine and the emails containing such words are intercepted before they reach the intended victim. Schools can set up the Engine the way they like. The program has the option to quarantine emails, reject them, or forward them to the administrators.