Users of dating apps were less likely to report harassment than users of social media according to the national stalking helplineStalking and harassment crimes involving social media have risen tenfold in five years as the platforms are increasingly used to target victims, police figures suggest. Experts have accused social media companies of not doing enough to protect users as tens of thousands of people each year suffer from online abuse on the websites and apps. Reports of stalking and harassment crimes using the most popular social media sites rose from 1,727 in 2014 to 17,637 in 2019, according to figures from 17 police forces obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. In the first month of 2020 there were more reports of stalking and harassment relating to the sites than recorded in the whole of 2014. The majority of cases identified by individual social media

Source: The Times January 01, 2021 18:01 UTC