The tort of harassment recognized in Alberta Health Services v Johnston, 2023 ABKB 209, expressly covers conduct carried out “in person or through other means.” That includes texts, emails, direct messages, social media posts, comment campaigns, fake accounts, and messages routed through friends, family, or co-workers. If someone is using the internet to make your life unbearable, Alberta law gives you civil remedies.
Conduct we act on
Files in this area commonly involve sustained messaging after being told to stop; abusive or degrading posts about you, including on accounts created for that purpose; doxxing, meaning the publication of your address, workplace, phone number, or private images to expose you to harm; monitoring and surveillance of your accounts and movements; and impersonation. In Johnston itself, the defendant published private images of the plaintiff and her family and made public efforts to identify her home. That conduct grounded both the harassment finding and a substantial damages award.
Anonymous accounts can be unmasked
Anonymity is weaker than harassers believe. Alberta courts can order platforms, websites, and internet service providers to disclose the subscriber and account information behind anonymous activity, so that the claim can proceed against the person responsible. The earlier this process starts, the better, because platforms retain records for limited periods.
Overlap with defamation and privacy claims
Online campaigns rarely involve one wrong. The same conduct often supports claims in defamation, where false statements damage your reputation, and in privacy, including the Alberta tort of public disclosure of private facts. Pleading the full set of claims changes both the damages available and the pressure on the defendant. See our Defamation and Reputation Protection and Privacy services.
Preserve everything now
Do not delete the messages, block and purge the accounts, or clean up your feeds before speaking to a lawyer. Screenshot with dates and usernames visible, keep original messages where possible, and start a running timeline. Our Evidence and Documentation Strategy page sets out exactly what to keep and how.
Frequently asked questions
It can be. The question is whether people who know you would understand the conduct as directed at you, and whether the pattern meets the four-part test. Veiled campaigns are common, and courts are alive to them.
Platforms respond unevenly to user reports. A demand from counsel, a court order, or a defamation claim tends to move faster. We advise on the most effective sequence for your situation.
Often yes, where the harm is suffered here. Jurisdiction is a case-by-case analysis we assess at the first consultation.
Talk to Us
Keystone Legal serves clients across Alberta in English and French, with appearances at the Calgary Courts Centre.
