The shocking death of a college freshman in the United States has cast a spotlight on new and vicious forms of harassment which harness the invasive and omnipresent reach of the Internet.

Eighteen-year-old Tyler Clementi leapt to his death from a New York bridge last week after his sex encounter with another man was broadcast over the Internet, allegedly by fellow students.

Sophisticated technology, social networking sites and a culture of tell-all disclosure have combined to fuel a new level of cyberbullying -- often targeting homosexual youngsters.

AFP TV reports

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