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| If you are in danger, please try to use a safe computer that someone abusive does not have direct or remote (hacking) access to. |
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- If
you think your activities are being monitored, they probably are.
Abusive people are often controlling and want to know your every move.
You don’t need to be a computer programmer or have special skills to
monitor someone’s computer and Internet activities – anyone can do it
and there are many ways to monitor with programs like Spyware,
keystroke loggers and hacking tools.
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- It
is not possible to delete or clear all the “footprints" of your
computer or online activities. If you are being monitored, it may be
dangerous to change your computer behaviors such as suddenly deleting
your entire Internet history if that is not your regular habit.
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- If
you think you may be monitored on your home computer, be careful how
you use your computer since an abuser might become suspicious. You may
want to keep using the monitored computer for innocuous activities,
like looking up the weather. Use a safer computer to research an escape
plan, look for new jobs or apartments, bus tickets, or ask for help.
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- E-mail and Instant/Text Messaging (IM)
are not safe or confidential ways to talk to someone about the danger
or abuse in your life. If possible, please call a hotline instead. If
you use e-mail or IM, please use a safer computer and an account your
abuser does not know about.
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- Computers
can store a lot of private information about what you look at via the
Internet, the e-mails and instant messages you send, internet-based
phone and IP-TTY calls you make, web-based purchases and banking, and
many other activities.
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- It might be safer to use a computer in a public library, at a community technology center (CTC) www.ctcnet.org at a trusted friend’s house, or an Internet Café.
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If you are in danger:
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- Call 911
- Call your local hotline, or
- Call the U.S. National Domestic Violence Hotline via phone at:
1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) (or)
TTY at: 1-800-787-3224
- Remember that “corded” phones are more private and less interceptable than cordless phones or analog cell phones.
- Be
aware you may not be able to reach 911 using an Internet phone or
Internet-based phone service. So you may need to be prepared to use
another phone to call 911.
- Call 911
- Call your local hotline, or
- Call the U.S. National Domestic Violence Hotline via phone at:
1-800-799-7233 (SAFE)
or
TTY: 1-800-787-3224
- Remember that “corded” phones are more private and less interceptable than cordless phones or analog cell phones.
- Be
aware you may not be able to reach 911 using an Internet phone or
Internet-based phone service. So you may need to be prepared to use
another phone to call 911.
- Contact your local domestic violence program or shelter to learn about free cell phone donation programs.
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| How an Abuser can Discover Your Internet Activities |
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This
information may not completely hide your tracks. Many browser types
have features that display recently visited sites. The safest way to
find information on the Internet would be at a local library, a
friend's house, or at work.
E-mail:
if an abuser has access to your e-mail account, he or she may be able
to read your incoming and outgoing mail. If you believe your account is
secure, make sure you choose a password he or she will not be able to
guess.
If an abuser sends you
threatening or harassing e-mail messages, they may be printed and saved
as evidence of this abuse. Additionally, the messages may constitute a
federal offense. For more information on this issue, contact your local
United States Attorney's Office.
History/Cache
File: if an abuser knows how to read your computer's history or cache
file (automatically saved web pages and graphics), he or she may be
able to see information you have viewed recently on the Internet.
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| You can clear your history or empty cache file in your browser's settings. |
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- Netscape:
Pull down Edit menu, select Preferences. Click on Navigator on choose
'Clear History.' Click on Advanced; then select Cache. Click on "Clear
Disk Cache.
(On older versions of Netscape: Pull down Options menu.
Select Network Options; select Cache. Click on "Clear Disk Cache.")
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- Internet
Explorer: Pull down View menu; select Internet Options. On General
Page, under Temporary Internet Files, click on "Delete Files." Under
History, click on "Clear History."
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- AOL: Pull down Members menu; select Preferences. Click on WWW icon.
Then select Advanced: Purge Cache.
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