"The Justice Department prosecuted just 10 cyberstalking cases between 2009 and 2012, according to Danielle Citron, a professor of law at the University of Maryland who studies online harassment. In 2015 and 2016, Clark introduced language in reports attached to Department of Justice appropriations bills that urged it to prioritize these crimes. She hopes that having data on prosecutions will show whether Justice Department officials heeded those instructions.
More numbers would also help lawmakers and advocates know where to direct their energies in the fight against online harassment, according to Ms. Citron.
"Publicly released statistics would allow the public to engage in a dialogue about [the] law's enforcement and whether further training and resources are needed," Citron said in an email. "Mandatory training and reporting would encourage the enforcement of existing law, which is desperately needed.""