resources > additional reading
Tactics Targeting Researchers and Ways to Respond
Below are typical forms of intimidation and harassment inflicted on researchers with the intention of delaying, discrediting, or deterring their work. For additional information, please visit:
- Our toolkit for institutions which includes ways to protect researchers facing abuse.
- Our guide for researchers on ways to mitigate risk and cope during and after an attack.
For any type of targeting:
- Always begin with an assessment of immediate danger and be in contact with security, campus police, and/or local police as appropriate. If you are the target of a physical or sexual threat, call 9-1-1.
- All efforts should be coordinated between the institution and the targeted researcher to most effectively resolve the situation.
Social media campaigns and trolling
Definition
Coordinated campaigns against researchers involve multiple individuals targeting the researcher simultaneously under the direction of an organized group (e.g., trolls). Tactics include flooding the researcher’s social media accounts with abusive messages and spreading false information about their character and the nature of their work. Harassment on social media can involve smear campaigns against the researcher’s work or personal life and pose explicit threats of physical harm to the researcher and their loved ones.
Preparation and Response
For institutions: Create a planning and response team in advance so you are ready to respond quickly and effectively when necessary. Prepare a communications plan and a response statement ahead of time and determine when to share a message via your own channels (not as a response to messages or comments). Always confer with the targeted individual before releasing statements and include them in response efforts wherever possible.
For individuals: Document and report abusive messages to the appropriate platform. Block and mute harassers. Turn off notifications on your phone to protect your mental health and consider enlisting a trusted individual to help you monitor your accounts. Often, it is best to ignore the abuse, but in some cases, you might choose to make a statement against the harassment. Early on, create a strategy for how you plan to respond (or not respond) to messages and inquiries. Refrain from responding to or reposting individual messages and ask your friends and contacts to do the same.
Emails directed at department heads and other administrators
Definition
Harassers direct their criticism of individual researchers, the department, or the institution as a whole toward individuals of authority. By involving a party beyond the targeted researcher, harassers increase the researcher’s exposure with an implied threat of administrative trouble, reputational damage, or other professional consequences.
Preparation and Response
Designate one person to handle all email responses. This person may be in the communications/public relations department. Forward all emails to this person, who can respond with a prepared statement to serious inquiries. Trolls, bots, or general spamming should be ignored.
Emails and other hate mail directed at the researcher
Definition
Harassers often use email messages to work or personal accounts as a primary channel of abuse. Abusive messages may come from bots, individual harassers, or members of troll networks operating in a coordinated manner. Emails may contain insults, threats, violent or explicit photo/video attachments, or links to malicious websites. Senders will often remain anonymous, sometimes using multiple accounts to write messages from seemingly different people.
Preparation and Response
Connect with your department head or supervisor and forward abusive emails to a designated person who will handle all email responses. This person can reply with a prepared statement to serious inquiries and ignore trolls or bots. Create a filter to move the messages automatically from your inbox to a different folder. You may enlist the help of your institution’s IT team. Remove your email address and contact information from all public-facing websites and directories. Consider creating a new email account.
Spamming
Definition
Harassers flood the researcher’s email inbox, social media accounts, or website with nonsensical or abusive messages or false reports to overwhelm the researcher and disrupt their ability to communicate in the workplace without reencountering the harassment.
Preparation and Response
Create a filter to move the messages automatically from your inbox to a different folder. You may enlist the help of your institution’s IT team. Remove your email address and contact information from all public-facing websites and directories.
Online Stalking
Definition
Harassers engage in online stalking by closely monitoring the researcher’s online activities, attempting to acquire their personal information, and/or sending frequent communications of an invasive or intimidating nature.
Preparation and Response
Block your stalker and document all incidents of abuse. There are laws against cyberstalking, so you may consider reaching out to law enforcement, consulting with your institution’s legal counsel, or connecting with your own personal counsel.
Negative Press
Definition
Media coverage of researchers’ work can range from legitimate critique to unfounded abuse. Negative press that rises to the level of harassment is typically generated in bad faith. It may come in the form of defamatory statements about the researcher or their work, content that compromises researcher privacy, inflammatory coverage intended to generate abuse, or material that fans the flames of previous abuse. Abusive press coverage often appears on blogs or fringe publications. Stories published in these venues may gain traction on social media, multiplying their reach and presenting the opportunity for large numbers of detractors to pile on in the comments section or through reposts.
Preparation and Response
For researchers with less media experience, connect with your institution’s public relations office or other advisors in advance of interviews and media appearances. Always research interview requests to ensure that the reporter and publication are reputable and approaching you in good faith. Avoid venues associated with anti-science, anti-expert, or politically inflammatory content.
Prepare for media appearances by understanding the reporter’s angle and anticipating the topics and questions the reporter may raise. You may ask for questions ahead of time. Have a plan for navigating potentially controversial material. For high-profile engagements, consider working with an advisor from your institution to determine how to best communicate your work.
Have a plan for responding to media outreach for comment. When contacted for comment on a story, clearly and concisely convey the facts. Be aware that declining to comment may be construed as having something to hide. Instead, you may choose to redirect or reframe the question to offer information you want to share.
In the event that you have received bad faith or defamatory press, document each instance by screenshotting or downloading all relevant files. Consider the consequences of responding to the negative press; while it may be to your detriment to engage with low-quality or low-traffic content, high-visibility content that is receiving traction in the media may require an acknowledgement or rebuttal from you or your institution. Always seek advice from your institution before engaging with the media in a way that is likely to induce or exacerbate harassment.
Doxxing
Definition
The public disclosure of a researcher’s personal information, such as their home address, phone number, or workplace, with the intention of enabling further harassment, stalking, or real-world harm is called “doxxing.”
Preparation and Response
If you have been doxxed, gather documentation of the attack, including messages from the perpetrator(s) and the online location of any leaked information. Report the incident to the relevant website or social media platform—virtually all platforms have a policy against doxxing and will take action against the offending account, including the removal of material that violates their terms of use.
Seek the assistance of your institution to lock down your accounts and help ensure your personal information is removed from public view. Implement the digital security measures outlined elsewhere in this document (e.g., create new passwords, block the offending account(s), remove sensitive personal details).
Consider reporting the incident to law enforcement—though doxxing itself is not illegal, many of its associated tactics and goals (e.g., stalking, fraud, incitement to violence) are.
Online Impersonation
Definition
Harassers use the target’s name and/or photo to create a social media account to post fake statements intended to discredit or defame the researcher.
Preparation and Response
Report the fake account to the appropriate social media platform, which should respond with an investigation and removal of the offending account(s). You may also choose to make a statement on your real account to alert your online community to the fraud.
Swatting
Definition
Swatting is rare and may be the result of doxxing. This occurs when a harasser calls the police to report a false threat at the researcher’s home or workplace so that a SWAT team will respond.
Preparation and Response
If you suspect that you might be a target of swatting, proactively contact your local police to explain the situation. If you have been a target of swatting, you may consider legal action—filing a false report under fraudulent pretenses is against the law.
Abuse of open records requests (Freedom of Information Act, or “FOIA” requests)
Definition
Research teams or individual researchers may be bombarded by excessive or spurious requests to review materials pertaining to their work. While open records laws are important in ensuring transparency and accountability in public agencies, harassers may weaponize this right to overwhelm or intimidate scholars whose research they oppose.
Preparation and Response
Understand the state and federal laws that apply to your situation and get in contact with your institution’s legal counsel and records office. Make sure that you understand your institution’s record retention policy and be aware that some grants have specific recordkeeping requirements. Regardless of the policies in place, it’s best to keep files for at least a few years.
Open records laws can apply to professional email accounts and, in some cases, to work-related text messages, so make sure to keep your personal and professional accounts separate. For professional accounts, keep in mind work-related emails are potentially discoverable and communicate accordingly.
Monitor all incoming requests and make sure that your legal team is in contact with your communications team and the heads of relevant departments. Get on the same page in terms of how your institution will respond to requests.
Contact institutional counsel promptly after receiving an open records request, as some laws require an initial response within a few days.
If you must share information, be sure to only share what is required by law, and take effort to remove the names of those who do not need to be included (i.e, staff, junior researchers, and/or community partners). Inquiring about the specific scope of the request can provide direction and clarity.
Harassment as a result of activism and advocacy
Definition
Harassment is sometimes led by an advocacy group or coalition of groups which sees its causes, values, or beliefs undermined or opposed by researchers and their work. The organized structure of advocacy/activist groups can lead to online or in-person abuse that is highly coordinated in nature and may involve in-person protests; social media posts, blog posts, or news articles created or shared by those sympathetic to the cause; email spamming; doxxing; or any of the other strategies outlined in this resource. Harassment may occur at or close to a researcher’s home, sometimes involving contact with neighbors and community members in an effort to ostracize the target. Harassment stemming from activism is often drawn out, sometimes following a researcher or institution for years.
Preparation and Response
Activists use a range of harassment tactics, each requiring a tailored approach. Many of the best practices described in this document apply to instances of activist-led abuse.
For institutions: It is essential to have a response plan in place to support researchers whose work may come under fire from organized groups. Strategies to address coordinated digital harassment, physical security measures, and legal preparedness are necessary to enable rapid response.
If the harassment is occuring online, follow the digital security best practices outlined in this document and associated resources. Recognize that activist and advocacy groups may be especially prolific and persistent in their attacks. Researchers may not be able to block or mute every attacker; temporary deactivation of social media accounts may be necessary.
If activists show up at your institution or at a public event, coordinate with security staff to come up with a response plan. This may involve limiting access to the space, increasing surveillance, temporarily changing the work location, or removing trespassers from the premises.
If activists target the researcher at their home or in another private venue, contact law enforcement to determine your options.
Safety concerns on an academic campus
Definition
Harassers may have access to a campus community and obtain information about the researcher’s working location. Harassers may show up at the working location with the intention of disrupting, intimidating, or stalking the researcher.
Preparation and Response
Consider moving the classroom or research office to a publically undisclosed location. Consult with campus security on your options for addressing disruption to classes. If you are being threatened or stalked, inform campus or local police.
Zoom-bombing and in-person event disruption
Definition
Harassers sometimes attend a professional event with the intention of causing disruption and instilling confusion or fear in the presenters and/or audience.
Preparation and Response
Whether the event is virtual or in-person, require registration. If it is online, do not share the link until shortly before the start date and make sure that your Zoom security settings are up to date. You may also consider requiring registration with a professional email address only. Appoint a person to monitor activity among participants in case someone needs to be removed from a virtual event (which is especially useful for sessions that include discussion or Q&A). If the event is in-person, alert the venue of possible risks and proactively speak with security/police.
In-person protests
Definition
Harassers may organize an authorized or unauthorized demonstration against a researcher or institution, establishing a physical presence at or near the researcher’s work or home location.
Preparation and Response
Involve security staff and coordinate with police to organize a response team. Look for places where people could gain entry to sensitive areas or put up blockades. Enhance security features, requiring passcards to gain admission to buildings, and consider moving classrooms or labs to undisclosed locations.
Home harassment
Definition
Harassers sometimes obtain information on a researcher’s home address and appear in person. Harassers may linger outside the residence or in nearby areas, photograph the home, attempt to speak to the residents or their neighbors, or try to gain unlawful entry. Short of visiting the home in person, harassers may send abusive mail to the researcher’s personal residence. Harassers may also distribute mail, posters, or ads to members of the community, encouraging them to participate in the harassment.
Preparation and Response
Do not directly engage with stalkers or harassers who visit you at your home. You may choose to post “No trespassing” signs or other notices making it clear that protesters are not welcome—these actions can help law enforcement make their case. Document harasser presence by recording photo and video evidence, as well as calls, messages, and online posts relating to the harassment. Contact law enforcement if harassers are trespassing, following you, or threatening you or your loved ones.
Implement cybersecurity steps to reduce the likelihood that attackers access your address and other information about your whereabouts. Make sure your employer and loved ones are aware of the threat that you—and possibly they—are facing. Consider physical security measures, including surveillance cameras and alarm systems. Devise a safety plan that will allow you to relocate quickly in the event of an escalating threat.
Letters of inquiry and congressional investigations
Definition
The US Congress often holds hearings to explore topics of relevance to public policy, many of which call on scholars and researchers to contribute their expert testimony. Individual members of Congress and Congressional committees may also request information on researchers’ work. Researchers may receive a letter of inquiry as a voluntary first step of an investigation. If a Congressional committee wishes to compel a researcher to produce records or testimony, it must issue a legislative subpoena. Subpoenas vary in their requirements based on the committee of issuance.
Preparation and Response
Institutions should promptly consult with their in-house legal team, external counsel, and/or legal groups with a focus on representing academic or scientific institutions. Individual researchers should seek the advice of an attorney to assess whether institutional or individual representation is the best approach.
As a preparatory measure, researchers should practice good recordkeeping hygiene. In the event of a subpoena, researchers must preserve all material that falls under the investigation’s purview. If only a letter of inquiry is issued, researchers and their institutions should work together to determine the appropriate level of voluntary disclosure.
Lawsuits, civil subpoenas, and other legal issues
Definition
Scientists and other researchers may be named in lawsuits involving their work or the work of colleagues, or may be subpoenaed to testify in an ongoing civil case. Legal cases often involve the researcher’s institution of employment. The court may require the submission of documents or other material evidence; deposition testimony; or trial testimony. Legal action that does not have a legitimate basis and instead intends to harass, intimidate, or silence a researcher may require active countermeasures to protect individuals and institutions.
Preparation and Response
Immediately contact an attorney to determine next steps. If the lawsuit or subpoena is credible, follow the legal advice issued by your representation. Suggested or required actions may include retaining digital and physical records or preparing testimony for a court appearance.
If the threat of legal action is being weaponized as a means of harassment, institutions should take a more proactive stance in countering the plaintiff. Institutions should consider retaining counsel on behalf of the targeted employee(s). In the event of threatened litigation, institutions may have their counsel respond with a cease and desist letter. In the case of a frivolous lawsuit that has already been filed, your attorney may start by submitting a motion to dismiss the case.
Legislation and lobbying
Definition
Interest groups advocating for a specific policy agenda may target researchers whose work opposes their goals. Harassment may involve negative media coverage or the spread of incorrect information online. Attackers may weaponize records/information requests in an attempt to discredit researchers’ work. Attackers may bombard researchers with questions or requests for comment, seeking to extract public statements or generate controversy that can be used to achieve their aims.
Preparation and Response
Prepare by adding an accessible summary to your website that describes the work. Consider adding an FAQ section to address aspects of your work that may benefit from additional detail (e.g., methods, objectives). Proactively engage with credible media outlets to communicate your work and ask them to include your FAQ page or website. If faced with online or in-person harassment from interest groups, employ the strategies and responses outlined elsewhere in this resource.
© 2024 Researcher Support Consortium. All rights reserved.