5.4.2 Digital Safety

Discussion questions for digital safety planning include the following:

Digital Privacy

  1. Does the perpetrator know the survivor’s phone number or email address? Do they know any of the survivor’s passwords?

  2. Has the survivor reviewed their privacy settings on computers, social media sites, and apps since the assault? Do they know how to adjust those settings to keep their information, including their location, more secure?

  3. Does the survivor know how to turn off geo-location services on their computer, phone and apps?

  4. Has the survivor searched for their name online? If so, does any private information, especially their address or phone number, show up? If so, do they know how to remove this information?

Safe Web Browsing

  1. Does the survivor know how to use private browsing to visit websites without storing records of their activity on their device?

  2. Does the survivor know how to clear their cache, history and cookies? This can erase records of their activity, although if someone is actively monitoring them, it can also alert them to the fact that the survivor is trying to conceal their actions, which could be dangerous.

  3. If their own devices are not considered safe, can the survivor use a public computer or a friend’s device to access the online information they need?

  4. Does the survivor have reason to believe they may have spyware on their computer? Do they know how to find out and remove it if so?

Safer Social Media

  1. Does the survivor have a social media account, for example Facebook or LinkedIn? If so, are they friends with the perpetrator? Are any of their contacts friends with the perpetrator? Do they know how to block the perpetrator and the perpetrator’s contacts from accessing them through social media?

  2. Has the perpetrator, their friends or family contacted the survivor using social media? If so, can they save and keep the evidence?

  3. Has the perpetrator, their friends or family posted anything about the survivor online? What was posted? Is it still online? Can the survivor save it and keep it as evidence?