Is online harassment illegal in the USA?

Yes. Federal law reaches interstate online conduct through 18 U.S.C. §2261A (stalking) and 47 U.S.C. §223 (harassing electronic communications), and every state has a cyberharassment or cyberstalking statute. Doxxing, threats, and repeated unwanted contact after a request to stop are the clearest cases.

What is a cyberstalking cease and desist letter?

It is a formal written notice that identifies the accounts and incidents involved, cites the applicable state and federal statutes, and demands that all online contact, posting, and tracking stop immediately. It also creates the documented notice courts look for before granting a protective order.

Does a letter work if the harasser is anonymous?

Often the account is pseudonymous rather than truly anonymous. Send the letter to any known email, profile, or employer contact, and preserve everything. Platforms and courts can subpoena identifying records later, and the letter still shows you demanded that the conduct stop.

How do I preserve evidence properly?

Take full-page screenshots showing the URL, handle, and timestamp; save post links; export message threads; and back everything up to a second device or cloud folder. Never delete threads, even after blocking.

Can I get content removed as well?

Yes. Our letter includes a takedown demand for defamatory posts, impersonating profiles, and non-consensual images, alongside a parallel report to the platform under its own abuse policy.

Depending on your state, civil claims for harassment, defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and non-consensual image sharing can carry actual damages, statutory damages, and attorney's fees. Criminal referral is separate and free to pursue.

Should I contact the police first?

If there is any threat of physical harm, yes, call 911 or file a report immediately. A report number strengthens the letter, and the letter in turn strengthens a later protective order petition.

Letter type

Online harassment cease and desist

A formal demand that ends cyberstalking, doxxing, impersonation, and coordinated online abuse, and creates the record a court needs.

For U.S. residentsMade in USALast reviewed: January 2026Reviewed by the StopAndDesist legal content team

Key takeaways

Federal and state cyberharassment statutes cover posts, DMs, and tracking.
Screenshots must show the URL, handle, and timestamp to be useful later.
Documented notice is what turns continued abuse into a provable case.
The letter also demands takedown of impersonating and defamatory content.

What counts as online harassment

Repeated unwanted messages after you asked the sender to stop
Doxxing: publishing your address, workplace, or phone number
Impersonating profiles and fake reviews in your name
Threats of violence, exposure, or sexual content sharing
Coordinated pile-ons directed at you or your employer
Tracking your location or activity across platforms

What the letter contains

A dated chronology of every incident with links, citation to your state's cyberharassment statute alongside 18 U.S.C. §2261A and 47 U.S.C. §223, an unequivocal demand that all direct and indirect contact stop, a takedown demand for defamatory or impersonating content, and notice that further conduct will be referred for criminal prosecution and civil action.

Preserving evidence the right way

Capture full-page screenshots that include the URL bar, the account handle, and the timestamp. Export message threads where the platform allows it, and store copies in two places. Blocking is fine, but archive first: deleted evidence cannot be recovered once an account is removed.

If the abuse continues

File with the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), report to local police with your incident log, and petition your county court for a harassment or stalking protective order. Bring the letter, the delivery receipt, and the archive.

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StopAndDesist provides self-help templates and is not a law firm. This page is information, not legal advice.