Most commentators agree that the 1990's have been marked by an increased sensitivity on the part of all concerned to the complex topic of sexual harassment. It is no surprise, therefore, that sexual harassment issues trigger such a compelling debate in the online community.
Online harassment can occur in a wide variety of contexts, ranging from e-mail to chat rooms.
Usenet groups, mailing lists, and home pages of web sites have also been known to contain sexually explicit communication that may include unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. Over the past few years, express prohibitions have been set forth that attempt to address various components of this problem. The embattled Communications Decency Act of 1996, for example, contains several provisions forbidding online harassment. See 47 U.S.C. Section 223. In addition, several major commercial online services and Internet access providers have developed written policies prohibiting similar behavior.