Privacy laws?

[someguy]

A friend of mine in Las Vegas met someone on the internet (risky to begin with, I know) and he has her phone number. She later decided that he was kind of creepy, or "a psycho" in her words, and told him she'd rather not have anything to do with him any longer.

Now he's threatening to put her phone number on the internet (and that's just the start of his apparent plan to make her life miserable for rejecting him - yeah, I think 'psycho' is a good word to use).

So, does anyone know what kind of action she can take and under what circumstances these actions would be affective under? What can she do to keep from having to change her phone number along with a bunch of other tedious measures to keep this guy out of her life?

 

[MongoTheGeek]

So, does anyone know what kind of action she can take and under what circumstances these actions would be affective under? What can she do to keep from having to change her phone number along with a bunch of other tedious measures to keep this guy out of her life?

Nothing really especially if her number is listed(most likely is).

If he says anything defamatory and untrue about her then she can sue for libel.

She could try telling him that if he does publish the number that just prooves her right about him being creepy.

The only other recourses are varying degrees of illegal.

 

[Lau]

What about a restraining order? I'm not sure about how serious things have to get, but threatening someone into going out with you or you'll publish their personal info on the internet is fairly blackmailish, no?

 

[someguy]

What about a restraining order? I'm not sure about how serious things have to get, but threatening someone into going out with you or you'll publish their personal info on the internet is fairly blackmailish, no?

Might be a possibility.

And no, her number is not listed because it's a cell number. She was foolish to give it to him, but that's history now. Isn't it a violation of some privacy law to publish information about someone that is not made readily availably to the public already? In other words, if you type my cell number into WhitePages.com's reverse number lookup, it'll only tell you where the number is based out of, not my name, address, etc.

 

[Deepdale]

Now he's threatening to put her phone number on the internet

Apparently, what happens in Vegas doesn't necessarily always stay in Vegas. She might want to mention the alleged threat to the district attorney's office.

 

[d wade]

so lets say he DOES put her # on the internet.. whats the worst that could happen? a couple prank phone calls and then the off-topic section of his forum will be over it soon.

your friend needs help though, sounds like a real loser to do that to a girl

 

[tobio]

People can say they will do a lot of things, but that doesn't mean they will. Let him have his little tantrum. If matters do get out of hand then get the police involved straight away, and play the *poor vulnerable woman* card. He will probably get put in jail or something.

 

[madog]

What can she do to keep from having to change her phone number along with a bunch of other tedious measures to keep this guy out of her life?

What's more tedious: Filing suit against this creepy guy and having to deal with "all that" plus the money needed to do so or just simply changing her phone number for free and ending the problem all together?

So her friends will have to change her number in their cell phones. It's not like anyone remembers phone numbers these days anyway.

 

[kaboutertje]

your friend needs help though, sounds like a real loser to do that to a girl

Not sure in the beginning he is referring to he as his friend, but later on he's asking how this girl can stop the guy from publishing her phone number. So I think the girl is his friend.
I'm no expert in U.S. law though. I study law in Europe, here it's quite hard to get a restraining order. And well since he hasn't done anything serious yet I'd say she has to sit it out (with the chance of it getting worse, him getting violent, etc...). Sadly that's how it works though if the state has to intervene everytime something minor like this happens, it would all turn into chaos. The state has to keep itself from intervering unless it's really needed.

 

[someguy]

Not sure in the beginning he is referring to he as his friend, but later on he's asking how this girl can stop the guy from publishing her phone number. So I think the girl is his friend.

Yes, sorry. She is the friend, he is some guy that she meant. Didn't realize how unclear I made that.

I sent an IM to this guy the other day and had a little "talk" with him, and he hasn't said or done anything since. My friend has not even heard from him at all, which she says is a big change in his behavior. Let's hope it stays this way.