Tech Safety and Privacy for Survivors

Survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and trafficking often need information on how to be safe while using technology. This toolkit contains safety tips, information, and privacy strategies for survivors on the use of technology to help them plan for their safety.

This guide includes information about safety planning with survivors of domestic and sexual violence, stalking and trafficking in situations of technology abuse.

With cell phones now the primary way of communicating, harassing phone calls can be especially distressing and disruptive. This fact sheet offers steps that victims of harassing calls, text messages, or spam can take to increase safety.

Do you want to know what spyware is, how it works, how it can end up secretly monitoring your computer? This handout answers those questions, discusses risks, and provides safety tips for survivors of abuse, for organizations that assist victims, and for parents.

NNEDV's App Safety Center provides tips, information, and resources for the safe development and use of smartphone apps addressing domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, harassment, and stalking. The App Safety Center provides resources for survivors and advocates, as well as information about apps to increase public awareness of domestic violence.

The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to devices connected to each other and to a device or app that can control them. Safety Net has developed a series of handouts on home automation and personal assistants, connected health and medical devices, smart toys and location trackers, and more describing the risks and potential benefits of the new wave of IoT devices.

NNEDV and Facebook developed these two guides, "A Guide to Staying Safe on Facebook" and "Safety & Privacy on Facebook: A Guide for Survivors of Abuse," as resources to help Facebook users understand and navigate the various settings and features available to increase privacy and security.

Facebook's community standards prohibit any behavior that puts people in danger, whether someone is organizing or advocating real-world violence or bullying other people. The Abuse Resources section of the Facebook Help Center has information and resources for people experiencing or witnessing online harassment, intimate partner violence, sexual violence, or trafficking.

Abusers often misuse online platforms, such as Twitter, as a tool to harass, abuse, and stalk. This guide provides specific tips and guidance for Twitter users on increasing their privacy and responding to other users who misuse the platform.

This 1-page handout provides tips for preventing sensitive and personal information from making its rounds on the Web. It highlights email, passwords, social networks, online accounts, and safe web browsing.

This guide from Cyber Civil Rights Initiative gives detailed information on how to report nonconsensual pornography on various online platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.