What Is Cyber Abuse?

A term that covers more than most people expect

Cyber abuse is the broader umbrella term for serious, targeted harmful behaviour directed at a specific person online — not just name-calling or a single nasty comment, but conduct a reasonable person would see as genuinely threatening, humiliating, or harassing. It includes several distinct things that can show up on their own or together.

Where content sometimes called "revenge porn" fits in

Sharing an intimate image or video of someone without their consent is one of the most serious forms of cyber abuse, and it's still commonly searched for under the term "revenge porn." That name is misleading — it frames it as retaliation, when the defining issue is simply that consent to share was never given. It's a criminal offence in Australia regardless of the sharer's motive, whether that's an ex-partner, a hacked device, or content faked entirely.

Other things that count as cyber abuse

It doesn't have to involve an image to qualify. Doxxing — publishing someone's address, workplace, or other identifying details to enable harassment — is cyber abuse. So is a coordinated pile-on across multiple accounts, persistent threatening messages after being asked to stop, and impersonation accounts set up specifically to harass someone. Each of these can escalate fast, and each has its own realistic path to being actioned.

Why the label actually matters

Recognising something as cyber abuse, rather than just "a bad experience online," is what points to the right next step. Platforms have specific policy categories for abuse and harassment, separate from a generic content report, and Australia's eSafety Commissioner runs a scheme specifically for serious cyber abuse against adults — a different, often faster path than a standard platform report or a police complaint alone.

What actually helps

Document what's happened before it can be deleted or edited — screenshots, URLs, usernames, dates. Report through the platform's specific abuse or harassment category rather than a generic flag. Where it meets the threshold, an eSafety Commissioner complaint runs alongside any platform report, not instead of it.

Where the content specifically involves a non-consensual intimate image or video, that's handled through Reputect's Sensitive Content Removal service — confidential from the first message, a free assessment, and no fee unless it actually comes down.

None of this is legal advice

This is general information, not a substitute for advice from a lawyer or the eSafety Commissioner about your specific situation — definitions and schemes can change over time, and what applies depends on details a general guide can't account for.