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ESCAPE!
Internet Safety Warning
 
SWOV
 
 
Internet & Computer Safety
 
If you are in danger, please try to use a safe computer that someone abusive does not have direct or remote (hacking) access to.
 
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.

If you are in danger:
  • 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.
 
 
How an Abuser can Discover Your Internet Activities
 

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.
You can clear your history or empty cache file in your browser's settings.
 
  • 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.")
 
  • 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."
 
  • AOL: Pull down Members menu; select Preferences. Click on WWW icon.
    Then select Advanced: Purge Cache.
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