Cyberstalking
House of Representatives - May 5, 2004

Mr. Speaker, America now knows the name of a woman who lives in my congressional district in Seattle. But she did not seek fame and would prefer anonymity.

Her name is Joelle Ligon. I rise to speak about her plight, her courage and the need for this Congress to act. Joelle deserves to live her life without fear, as everybody deserves. Unfortunately, Joelle's life was turned into a nightmare because of cyberstalking.

Today she is both a victim and an advocate, and she was invited to share her story the other day on "Good Morning America." It was not easy for Joelle, but she knew it was important to warn America about the dangers lurking online. Joelle was 15 when she met and dated an 18-year-old young man in high school. Nothing unusual about that. Eventually Joelle severed the relationship and moved on with her life. She married and began a career. A few years later, Joelle received an e-mail one day. It was supposedly sent from a woman she did not know, but whoever sent it knew her. Then a second e-mail came with more personal details that no stranger could possibly know. Joelle began to suspect that the woman was really a man. By the third e-mail, Joelle was sure the e-mails were coming from her former high school boyfriend. She wrote back, naming him, and telling him to stop. Things went from bad to bizarre. The e-mails got much worse. They began to include pornography and threats like this: "Not only is it bad karma to have enemies, I'm a bad enemy to have."

Joelle was terrified. Then came phone calls in the middle of the night. Her phone number had been posted online by someone urging men to call her for sex. Joelle went to the local police, but they concluded there was nothing they could do because no law had been broken. Joelle and her husband moved to Seattle, but within months the nightmare came back. Joelle started receiving calls at work from men who had seen her number posted online in sex chat rooms. She again went to the local police and to the FBI, but nothing was done. Finally, her coworkers and supervisors received an e-mail that accused her of falsifying her employment credentials and of sexual misconduct. The city of Seattle's computer security officer, Kirk Bailey, became the white knight. He got people involved, but progress was painfully slow because no laws specifically address cyberstalking. Eventually an assistant U.S. Attorney got involved, but finding a law to deal with a 21st century crime has been tough.

A break in the case came when the ex used her phone number in a chat room. Authorities acted, using title 47 of the Telecommunications Act for the first time in a case like this. The ex-boyfriend has been charged, but it has taken years and a courageous woman willing to see it through.

And it is not over yet. Joelle and millions of other Americans need our help. By some estimates, one out of every 12 women in America is stalked online. The problem extends to men as well. Some States, including Washington, have acted to toughen the laws, but it is time to recognize that cyberstalking is a national problem. We are using a 20th century law to fight 21st century crime. That has to change. Cyberspace has no State borders. Cyberpredators can reach across State lines to terrorize their victims wherever they live and work. Americans like Joelle need the protection that only the Federal Government can provide. We need to modernize our laws to make sure they protect Joelle and every American.

Cyberspace has opened doors we are just beginning to understand. This one, we already know. Everyone has the right to feel safe and be safe. Anything less is wrong and should be illegal with severe penalties. The first step is awareness. I am preparing a letter to circulate to my colleagues that will include newspaper accounts from Seattle about Joelle. We are going to work with the appropriate Members and committees in the House as soon as possible to tackle cyberstalking head-on. We will do what we need to do to clarify and strengthen our laws.

I urge both Republicans and Democrats to join me in protecting Joelle, to join me in protecting every American. Let the predators know that they are the only ones who should not feel safe today.

Joelle, you are not alone. Help is coming.