Victim advocates for Nebraska lawmaker’s bill to combat electronic stalking

Electronic stalking is not going away.In fact, after a KETV investigation in 2023, a bill was introduced in the 2024 legislative session. That bill was indefinitely postponed. Thirty people were killed in Nebraska in domestic violence situations in 2025 alone, and technology is only becoming more accessible.One state senator says electronic stalking needs to be addressed now. For months, when Sahra Niazi would leave the house, she would receive text messages telling her the person on the other end knew where she was. “I was constantly aware of my surroundings. I was constantly trying to figure out what my day-to-day would look like. So, what decisions do I make? Where do I need to go? What do I need to get done?” Niazi said.’I felt scared. I felt violated’: Notifications alert woman that she’s being tracked by a hidden AirTagLiving in fear, Niazi said she changed the locks throughout her house and even installed security cameras.”The mental toll with stalking is incredibly it’s dark, and it’s exhausting,” Niazi said.None of it was enough to stop her stalker. “Several months after the stalking began, it came to a head. I got some text messages that made me afraid for my life,” Niazi saidThat was when Niazi said she began to take more action. “I called electronic stores. I did everything I could to say, ‘How can I find out? How is it tracking me?’ I took my car into a car dealership, and I said, ‘You guys have to help me,'” Niazi said.Within minutes, a tracking device was found under the passenger seat of her vehicle.But there wasn’t a sense of relief; rather, Niazi said she felt even more vulnerable. “At the end of the day, despite finding the GPS device, I did all the right things. I went to the police. I called the DA’s office. Nothing could be done,” Niazi said.The Women’s Center for Advancement said Niazi is not alone. “This is a problem that many of our clients don’t realize is part of the cycle of violence or the pattern of domestic abuse that they’re experiencing,” Katie Welsh, vice president of programs at WCA, said.It’s a form of technology-facilitated abuse known as electronic stalking. Welsh said hundreds of women every year come to them for help with stalking. “Maddie, I think the number is higher of our clients who experience stalking and harassment through technology,” Welsh said. “I’ll tell you, sometimes our victims don’t know that it’s happening until they’re sitting right in front of us.”It’s concerning, Welsh said, because often, stalking is just the beginning of abuse. “In some cases, it escalates to violence that we can’t come back from, such as homicide,” Welsh said.Niazi said her stalker was never held accountable. Something she struggled with and blamed herself for for years until she said she found the strength in her voice.Using it to advocate for change in 2024 and continuing to do so again this year. “How can we just make it clear that this should not be done? That’s truly what I’m looking for,” Niazi saidDespite electronic stalking being a known issue, there is no state law in Nebraska that specifically addresses it. “It’s extremely complicated and unnecessarily so. So, right now, it is not technically illegal to put an electronic tracker or AirTag on someone else’s property without their knowledge,” state Sen. Carolyn Bosn said.Bosn is working to change that. “When there’s concerns that have such an obvious solution that we have to be solution-driven here,” Bosn said.Bosn said LB 1059 would modernize state statutes to make it illegal for someone to place a tracking device like Apple AirTags on or in someone else’s property without their consent. “We’re not limiting ourselves to our purse or to just our person. It is tracking vehicles. It’s anything that is your property. So, whether that be a backpack, a coat, putting them in the tongue of your shoe,” Bosn said.Bosn said this is an issue that can impact anyone at any time.”The purpose here is to empower victims to have the ability to stand up for themselves, to know that other people are trying to help them,” Bosn said.And Welsh said a bill like this will give prosecutors more ability to hold abusers accountable. “Should this bill pass, it just helps us to be more effective at helping our clients achieve safety,” Welsh said.Niazi said LB 1059 is needed to help survivors map out a path forward and show them they are not alone. “If it passes, it will actually give them a voice to be heard instead of just a voice that says, ‘Help me,’ and it’s muted out. It’s a voice says, ‘Help me,’ and somebody can step up and say, ‘Yeah, this is illegal,'” Niazi said.A hearing for LB 1059 is scheduled for Friday afternoon. Welsh said services at the WCA are free. To learn more about them, click here.Other local resources can be found by clicking here.If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, you can call the national hotline at any time. That number is 800-799-7233. Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google Search.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |