Most of us take our phones everywhere. We also use it to save huge amounts of personal information. It can tell someone where you go, who you know, your bank details, email or information about your health. It can also allow people to post on your social media or send emails. You might also have private photos and videos on your phone. Someone might be able to use this information to abuse you.
For example follow, control, humiliate, harass and steal from you. They might be able to publish private information that they take from it. They might pick it up and look through it, or they might install a "spyware" app, which lets them look at it through their own devices.
Make it safer:
• Put a passcode or password on your phone and don't let anyone know what it is. Some newer phones can be locked using your fingerprint.
• Change it often.
• Download an antivirus app to see if someone has installed "spyware" on your phone without you knowing. (Not all antivirus apps will detect spyware, so check the description to see what it does before you pick which one to use).
But be careful, as to be found out, may make the person's abuse worse.
• GPS - the bit of your phone which tracks where you are is usually nearly always set to 'on'. Check your app settings to turn it off if you're worried someone is tracking you.
• Don't let anyone download apps on your phone if you don't know what it is.
• Look out for 'parental control' or 'Find my Phone' apps, as they often do similar things to "spyware" apps - like track your activity and location.
Your email account is likely to be the centre of everything you do online. If someone knows your email password, it may mean they can login to other accounts, like social media, banking or shopping.
Make it safer:
• Use different passwords for your email and other online accounts.
• Avoid using personal information for passwords, like pet's names and birthdays as these can be guessed
• Use a password that is a mixture of capital and lower-case letters, symbols and numbers. Use a secure password generator if you can.
• Change your password often.
• Look out for signs someone is using your account, for example emails being marked 'read' before you read them emails being sent that you did not write, or emails confirming a new password request.
• If you're using someone else's device make sure you log out and clear any login information that might have been saved.
• Look into getting 'Two-factor authentication' (where as well as your password, you need a secret code sent to your phone or email to login).
• Use a password manager app to help you remember different secure passwords
• Don't click links in emails from people you don't know.
A private email can be generated at www.proton.me
Browsers are usually what you use to look at websites, whether you are on a computer, phone or tablet. The most common ones are called Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome or Firefox. Browsers usually save a list of the websites you have looked at. Sometimes they will save things like usernames, passwords and other login information. This information may be used as part of domestic abuse, for example to control, monitor, track, threaten or steal from you.
Make it safer:
• Delete your browsing history if you think the websites you're looking at could be used to abuse you. This can usually be done through the 'Settings' of your Browser, usually up in the top right hand corner of the window.
• Clear any login information you have saved, don't save any new passwords. This can also be done through the 'Settings' of your Browser.
• Be aware that if someone has installed "Spyware" on your phone, they may see what you are doing as you do it, or have a record of it before you clear your history. It may be better to use someone's else's phone, tablet or laptop if you want to look at information privately.
• Use a Private Window (sometimes called 'Incognito Window') to stop any browsing history being saved. This is also possible through the 'Settings' menu of your Browser.
• Remember that if you search for how to do these things, clear your browsing history. Your abuser may realize you are trying to keep things from them. This may trigger a negative reaction or for the abuse to worsen
• A popular private web browser is www.duckduckgo.com
Social media websites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and TikTok may show information about you that your abuser can use, such as your location. Social media can also be used to harass or threaten you. It can also be used to publish personal information about you. Be careful when using online forums, even if they are private. Someone may pretend to be someone they aren't to find out information about you.
Make it safer:
• Where you see someone is saying or sharing something you're not comfortable with or is harassment, report it.
• Check your profile information for anything that could be used against you, such as:
• Location
• Birthday, place of birth (these are often the answers to security questions that someone could use to access
other accounts)
• Groups you are a member of
• Photos
• Look through the social media platforms privacy settings to check which one suits you best. Check you are comfortable with who can see your posts. For some platforms this can be changed to only friends or people you follow.
• Unfollow or block anyone who you don't want to see your posts or who you don't want contact with, including people who might pass information on about you.
• Talk to your friends and family about their privacy settings. Explain how them sharing information about you might put you at risk.
• Make your password secure:
• Use a different password for your different social media accounts.
• Avoid using personal information for passwords, like pets names and birthdays as these can be guessed.
• Use a password that is a mixture of capital and lower-case letters, symbols and numbers. Use a secure password generator if you can.
• Use a password manager to help you remember different secure passwords.
• Look into getting 'Two-factor authentication' (where as well as your password, you need a secret code sent to your phone or email to login).
Messaging apps like Whatsapp and Facebook messenger can feel like safe ways of communication. But there are some risks to think about to keep safe. For example, you can be added to groups with people you don't know. Often your profile picture, status, when you were last online and whether you have read messages can be seen by anyone who adds you as a contact. Messaging can also be used to monitor you, for example if you are being asked to constantly update someone on where you are. Or it could be used to harass you,
For example if you are getting lots of unwanted messages, including upsetting images or videos. If someone has access to your phone, tablet or computer they could use messaging to pretend to be you.
Make it safer:
• Think about whether you are comfortable with your name, profile picture and status
• Check the privacy and security settings of the messaging apps you are using to see what privacy settings are available. You may be able to:
• Control who can add you to group chats.
• Control who can see your profile image and status.
• Hide information about when you were last online or whether you've read messages, or only let certain people see it.
• Block people. Remember that friends or family may share your information without you knowing.
• See if 'two-factor authentication' is available (this is where as well as your password, you need a secret code sent to your phone or email to login)
Many games played on consoles, phones, computers or tablets also allow you or your child to connect and chat to other players. To do this you may be asked to create a profile made up of a user name, profile pic or avatar, and perhaps your age, location and more.
This makes it a possible tool for abuse by strangers or people you know to harass or abuse you online. It can also be used to monitor or track you. Some games may not seem like they are not online, but are actually connected to other players in the background. Check what information is being shared and with who. This is especially important if your child is playing unsupervised.
Make it safer:
• Think carefully about what you're comfortable sharing in your public profile, for example your real name, location or
birthday. This could be used to identify you or to access other accounts.
• Most games played on any device are online, even if it's not a key feature. Check what your child is using and sharing to make sure they are safe and not sharing personal information about you or your family.
• Make sure your password is secure:
• Use a different password for your different accounts.
• Change it often.
• Avoid using personal information for passwords, like pets names and birthdays as these can be guessed by
those close to you.
• Use a password that is a mixture of capital and lower-case letters, symbols and numbers. Use a secure password generator if you can.
• Use a password manager to help you remember different secure passwords
• See if 'two-factor authentication' is available (this is where as well as your password, you need a secret code sent to your phone or email to login)
Many apps you download may be tracking your location and behavior. They often ask for personal information which may be made public to other users, or may be seen by someone using your phone. Spyware is a type of app used to track and monitor people without them knowing. Some people will use these as part of their abuse. Spyware apps will be hidden on your phone. They can access your internet history, location, camera and more. 'Parental Control' apps can do similar things, so can be harmful if used by someone abusive.
Make it safer:
• Think carefully about the apps you download. Check they are made by someone trustworthy.
• Think about what information you input into the app and what is made public to other users. Might someone be able to identify you? Could what is shared be used for abuse?
• If you're not sure what information apps are tracking, check your app permissions in your phone's settings. Limit which apps have access to our photos, location, contacts etc.
• Don't let anyone download apps on your phone for you, especially if you don't know what it is. They may be adding "spyware".
• Download an antivirus app to see if someone has installed "spyware" on your phone without you knowing. (Not all antivirus apps will detect spyware, so check the description to see it does before you pick which one to use). But be careful, as to be found out, may make the person's abuse worse.
• If you feel safe to do so, download an antivirus app that will tell you if you have spyware installed (not all of these detect spyware). If you're using apps that are designed to support you with the experience of domestic abuse, consider using a different phone or device (e.g. at work, use a friend's or go to the library/ community centre).
• Remember that apps you download appear in your app store downloads list, and will show on every device which you are logged into (with your Apple ID or Google Play Store login details). If someone has access to this account or it is linked to a family member's credit/debit card they may be notified of any new app downloads.
• Use a search engine, like Google or Bing, to look up your own name. See if any information or photos appear which you can remove or make private, e.g. photos from your Facebook account or your Instagram profile.
• Use HavelBeenPwned.com to check if your email accounts have been involved in a hack where your information has been made public. This happens quite often and may allow people to log in to your accounts.
• Take a note of any incidents of abuse, such as messages or voicemails. Take screenshots or audio recordings. This could be helpful in the future if you need to show proof of what has happened to you.
• Think about getting a password manager like LastPass or KeePass. These are apps that work on phones, tablets or computers to save multiple passwords inside an account with a single password, so you only have to remember one. They also can generate secure passwords for you.
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