Online harm: prepare a safe, focused legal enquiry

01 / Practical step

Describe the current problem plainly

State the platform, the kind of content and whether it is continuing, spreading or accompanied by contact elsewhere. Explain whether a person or business is targeted and whether a child is involved. Avoid making the first enquiry depend on a legal label such as defamation. The adviser needs to understand the conduct before deciding which area of law or assistance route may be relevant.

02 / Practical step

Ask how to preserve evidence appropriately

Where safe and lawful, note URLs, account names, dates and report references. Keep messages already received and ask for advice about suitable evidence capture. Do not download, forward or reproduce illegal material to create a file. For intimate images or content involving children, use the relevant official reporting guidance and explain the issue without attaching the material to unsolicited enquiries. Your safety takes priority over collecting a perfect record.

03 / Practical step

Keep platform and official reporting separate

Record what you reported to the service and its response. eSafety publishes pathways for different types of online harm, including adult cyber abuse and image-based abuse. Check the current guidance for the type of harm; not every unpleasant post falls within the same scheme. Reporting content and engaging a lawyer are different actions. Confirm who is handling each one rather than assuming the other party has done it.

04 / Practical step

Define the legal question and desired output

Explain whether you want help understanding options, responding to a demand, requesting removal or assessing a possible claim. Ask what a first review can answer and what evidence is still missing. If content has been published about a business, identify the legal entity and relevant people. Do not ask the adviser to guarantee deletion or compensation before the facts and available routes have been assessed.

• Platform and account details
• Dates, links and safe evidence references
• Reports already made and responses
• The immediate concern and outcome you want discussed

05 / Practical step

Illustrative example: impersonation and direct threats

A person discovers an account using their name and receives threatening messages from a separate account. They describe the impersonation and threats as two events, retaining report references and explaining the safety concern at intake. This invented example helps organise the enquiry. It does not establish who controls either account or which reporting and legal routes will be available.

06 / Practical step

Choose a safe communication arrangement

Tell the office which phone, email or message channel is safe and whether notifications could be seen by another person. Ask how sensitive evidence will be shared and who will contact platforms or other parties. Before publishing a response or sending a legal threat yourself, ask about the risks of that proposed action. Keep advice, reporting steps and any urgent safety response distinct in your action list.