Unsolicited e-mail is one of the most common forms of harassment, including hate, obscene, or threatening mail. Other forms of harassment include sending the victim viruses or high volumes of electronic junk mail. If there is no movement of the stalking into the "real" world, targets of the harassment can buffer themselves from exposure to the stalker by avoiding those parts of the Internet being used by the stalker. Under this method of stalking, the stalker exploits the workings of the Internet and the Windows operating system in order to assume control over the computer of the targeted victim. A computer-knowledgeable cyberstalker can communicate directly with his/her target as soon as the target's computer connects in any way to the Internet. The stalker can assume control of the victim's computer, and the only defensive option for the victim is to disconnect and relinquish his/her current Internet "address." In addition to using the e-mail medium to stalk victims, stalkers can more comprehensively use the Internet to slander and endanger their victims. Cyber crimes can in some instances closely resemble "real" world crimes, but in other instances are so distinctive that their connection with the "real" world is tenuous and constantly shifting. The first step in effectively responding to Internet-based crime in general and cyberstalking in particular is to ensure an understanding of the Internet is derived from a realistic appreciation of the nature of the new technologies themselves rather than being rooted in a pre-Internet conception of information exchange mechanisms. 23 references