Support Pathways for Faculty & Staff Facing Online Harassment

Facing Online Harassment as a UBC Researcher/Faculty Member? Here Are Steps You Can Take & Support Pathways Available to You

 

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What is Online Harassment?

As researchers and faculty members increasingly engage on social media and other digital platforms, they face risks of online harassment. While any researcher might be targeted for their work and / or identity, those working in highly politicized and sensitive areas of research face higher risks of harassment.

Online or technology-facilitated harassment can be defined as the malicious use of the internet or other technology to target, threaten, or harass an individual or a group. Online harassment can take many forms, including threats and insults, doxing (sharing a person’s private information), cyberstalking, and non-consensual intimate image sharing. Harassing messages may be sent privately via emails and direct messages or posted publicly on social media platforms. In some cases, online harassment can accompany incidents of harassment via phone, in-person stalking, or the misuse of legal and administrative measures.

If you have been targeted by online harassment, you do not have to deal with it in isolation. To access appropriate support that can help mitigate the unique risks you face, it can be helpful to identify and describe the forms of harassment you are facing.

Note: External resources linked at the bottom of this page can provide an overview of the forms and impacts of online harassment.

 

How Might Online Harassment Affect You?

Online harassment can be a deeply upsetting experience that can disrupt your personal and professional lives. It is not the result of individual failing or weakness. Rather, it is an issue that should be taken seriously and addressed collectively.

Online harassment can have significant personal and professional consequences, including:

  • Mental health and well-being difficulties;
  • Physical safety concerns;
  • Reputational damage and concerns about impact on employment;
  • Reduced participation in public and academic engagements;
  • Reduced willingness to research or discuss “controversial” issues.

Impacts may be more severe for researchers from equity-deserving groups and historically, persistently, or systemically marginalized (HPSM) groups who already navigate structural inequities in academia. At a broader level, targeted harassment undermines academic freedom, institutional integrity, and the pursuit of scientific inquiry.

Given these impacts of online harassment, university researchers and faculty members should be able to access appropriate forms of institutional support.

 

What Policies and Support Systems Exist at UBC?

IMPORTANT NOTES

  • This resource was last updated in October 2025. Some support pathways outlined may evolve in response to changes in UBC’s administrative structure. Users are encouraged to verify information with the relevant units where possible.
  • This webpage outlines broad pathways of support available to UBC faculty members and staff members. Processes and pathways available for students and other community members/partners are equally crucial, but may differ.
  • Towards the end of this page, you will find links to non-UBC resources, which provide suggestions for individual and institutional actions on online harassment. These resources have been selected by CSDI’s research team.
  • If you are being harassed by a member of the UBC community (student/staff/faculty member), see UBC’s policies and resources on bullying and harassment prevention.
  • If the harassment is of a discriminatory nature, related to one of the protected grounds under UBC’s Discrimination Policy, the university’s human rights advising team is available to you.

UBC does not have one specific policy for online harassment. However, the issue is implicitly covered by the university’s existing policies on academic freedom, online learning and scholarship, respectful environment, bullying and harassment prevention, discrimination, and at-risk behaviour, among others.

UBC offers a range of support pathways to deal with the physical, mental, and professional impacts of online harassment before, during, or after it occurs. Different people may want different forms of support at different times.

Working with many different administrative units at UBC, the Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions (CSDI) has outlined the various steps individuals can take to keep themselves safe as well as the proactive and reactive support pathways available to those affected at UBC.

 

How Can You Protect Yourself from Online Harassment?

If you are experiencing online harassment, you are not alone. This resource is intended to support your safety and well-being. All support pathways and services outlined here are voluntary, and you are in control of the steps you take.

Proactive Measures

If you are a UBC faculty or staff member working on a sensitive / highly politicized research topic, or are anticipating escalated harassment or targeting:

  • Dox Yourself: Run a search on your name and image. Understand your exposure and online footprint, and set Google Alerts for your name. Read more about why your digital footprint and online reputation matter.
  • Secure Your Digital Identity:
    • Privacy Matters @ UBC has published a resource on securing your digital identity as UBC staff/faculty.
    • Use password managers. Learn more about setting up a password manager from Privacy Matters @ UBC.
    • Set up multi-factor authentication (MFA) wherever applicable. Read more on MFA for UBC’s CWL accounts.
    • Separate your personal and professional communication channels (phone numbers, email IDs, social media accounts, etc). Read UBC’s resource on email security to protect your institutional email addresses and combat email harassment. Consider using institutional accounts (e.g. social media accounts for your lab or centre) rather than personal accounts.
    • Use encrypted messaging apps such as Signal. You can also encrypt your devices.
    • Scrub your online data by requesting the removal of your personal information from search engines, websites, and data broker sites. In some instances, you may be able to remove your contact information for a set period of time.
  • Know Your Blocking & Reporting Tools: Familiarize yourself with how to block and report on different social media platforms.
  • Call in Allies:
    • If you think you might be targeted with online harassment, it may be helpful to organize a support team or call in your allies, including colleagues, friends, and family. They could help monitor your social media and emails for abusive content, document incidents, provide emotional support, or help you with other tasks.
    • Keep your allies and colleagues informed about your research/activity, and warn them if you think that you or they may be targeted.
    • Prepare your allies and support team in advance on concrete actions they can take to help if you are targeted, including driving counter speech and positive discourse.
  • Know Your Resources: Understand resources and support pathways available to you through UBC and/or your employment unit. In addition to those listed on this page, your department or unit may provide targeted pathways of support.
  • Support Colleagues and Peers: Support others who face similar incidents, and foster a culture of safety and respect at work.
  • Have a Conversation with your Chair and/or Dean: Before any incident happens, consider having a conversation with your institutional leaders to ensure they will support you if you are targeted for harassment. In some cases, it may be more beneficial to collaborate with other supportive groups (such as Employee Resource Groups) to develop a strategy before approaching your institutional leaders.

 

Proactive Support Available at UBC

  • Physical Safety
    Contact unit: UBC Campus Security
    Support available: Access support for threat assessment, site risk assessment, event security, and safety planning.
  • Cybersecurity
    Contact unit: Privacy Matters @ UBC; UBC Advanced Research Computing
    Support available: Access customized training on cybersecurity and secure systems and architecture, based on your research needs.
  • Mental Health and Well-being
    Contact unit: UBC HR’s Health & Wellbeing
    Support available: Seek psychosocial support, or mental health and wellbeing resources, based on your eligibility.
  • Media/Public Relations
    Contact unit: UBC Media Relations
    Support available: Preparation for media interviews, including on sensitive research topics or issues.

 

Reactive Measures

If you are a UBC faculty or staff member being targeted, consider the following reactive steps you can take:

  • Emergency: IF YOU ARE IN AN EMERGENCY, CONTACT 911 or the RCMP. However, you may prefer to reach out to other emergency contacts for assistance based on your particular needs and circumstances.
  • Practice Self-care: Prioritize your mental and physical wellbeing, lean on your support systems, and take the time and space you need.
  • Call in Your Allies: Seek help from peers, family, and friends to drive counter speech and positive discourse.
  • Delegate Tasks: If it gets too overwhelming, appoint a trusted person to monitor your personal social media and email accounts, and block or filter abusive messages and accounts. They could also help to document incidents of harassment.
  • Document Incidents: Log incidents of harassment and build evidence.
  • Block, Mute, Report: Block and mute perpetrators. Report incidents to digital platforms/social media. UBC’s resource on email security has guidelines on how to respond to harassing emails.
  • Report to UBC: For support from UBC, you can report incidents of online harassment to security@ubc.ca or call 604.822.6141 and request a “cybersecurity callout” (24 x 7 helpline), depending on the severity of the incident.
  • Access Institutional Support: Use the available support pathways for assistance with cybersecurity, physical safety, mental health, or public relations. These pathways are listed in the next section.
  • Report to Authorities:
    • You may wish to report escalated incidents of online harassment, such as threats of serious violence, bullying, and nonconsensual sharing of intimate images, to local law enforcement.
    • You can also report potential fraud or cybercrime incidents through the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security’s website

 

Reactive Support Available at UBC

 

Additional Resources

UBC Resources

External Resources

 

Have feedback about this resource or want to suggest additions? Contact csdi.democracy@ubc.ca
This resource was last updated in October 2025.