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 For the 40 percent of adult Internet users who are dealing with this
issue, according to 2014 Pew Research Center data, and numerous
school-age children, there is a new insurance policy to help
mitigate the financial repercussions.
Chubb Ltd recently began offering optional cyber bullying coverage
for its homeowners insurance clients. The coverage is included in
the company's Family Protection policy, which costs around $70 a
year. It covers up to $60,000 in compensation to clients and their
families to pay for services including psychological counseling,
lost salary and, in extreme cases, public relations assistance.
"It's so hard to have complete control online," said Christie
Alderman, vice president of client product and services, Chubb
personal risk services. "We do know that when it does occur it can
be really devastating."
Nicole Prause, a neuroscientist from California, learned the costs
of cyber bullying the hard way.
After publishing a 2013 peer-reviewed paper that suggested sex
addiction is not a clinical diagnosis, Prause said she was subjected
to online insults from people she believes oppose her work.
The abuse varied in scope, from repeated claims that she faked her
data to comments about her appearance.
"I had a TED Talk (posted online) and they just filled it with 'tranny'
comments," said Prause, who worked at the University of
California-Los Angeles at the time the attacks began. "They have
definitely singled me out."
Prause filed a cease-and-desist order against her harassers, and
said those persons are no longer allowed to contact her directly.
But Prause said she spent around $5,000 to mitigate the damage over
the years, hiring an attorney and someone to take screenshots of the
abuse lobbed at her online.
Rich Matta, the chief executive officer of ReputationDefender
(https://www.reputationdefender.com/), an online reputation
management firm, says that the average consumer dealing with this
problem can spend around "a few thousand dollars" a year to combat
cyber bullying.
"It's no surprise that remediation of cyber bullying is now
insurable," Matta said, referencing the Chubb insurance policy.
But some feel that taking out an insurance policy against online
harassment is going too far.
Sameer Hinduja, co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center and
a professor of criminal justice at Florida Atlantic University, said
insurance for cyber bullying reinforces a victim mentality and is
"tapping (in to) the fear."
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"You can do a lot on your own to safeguard your reputation," Hinduja
said.
Experts say it is important for consumers to be proactive in
protecting their online reputation, by taking a few simple steps.
Here are a few tips to avoid the cyber bully trap:
1. Keep it private
Hinduja recommends setting social media profiles to "private," to
avoid writing posts that are too frequent and opinionated, and to
block or mute accounts that go too far.
"You are going to be a much better advocate for yourself," Hinduja
said.
2. Be proactive about your child's online presence
While more schools are educating kids about cyber abuse, Matta said
parents still need to monitor how their kids use social media. "They
need to establish some boundaries and rules around when it's OK to
use technology," he said.
3. Get help when you need it
For those who feel overwhelmed managing their online presence,
resources like online ReputationDefender can offer a reprieve - for
a price. ReputationDefender typically charges private clients
between $3,000 and $20,000 per year, while Reputation 911
(http://reputation911.com/) offers monthly packages for personal
reputation management between $195 and $995.
(Story refiled to correct spelling of ReputationDefender in final
paragraph.)
(Editing by Beth Pinsker and Matthew Lewis)
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