Leave Now
This website’s main menu includes a “Leave Now” option that brings you to Google’s landing page. It’s designed so that you can quickly move to another website if you’re afraid you’re at risk.
Cover Your Tracks
Your activities on the internet can be tracked by somebody who wants to control you or find out what you’ve been doing online. The suggestions below can help you cover your tracks as you use the internet. Please remember that none of these suggestions can protect you completely and you may want to use more than one suggestion.
- Use a computer that people you know don’t have access to. You can go to a public library or community centre and use a computer where other people can’t easily see the screen.
- Clear your internet browser’s cache and browser history to erase information about the websites you’ve visited. Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, and Microsoft Edge are examples of common browsers. The Assaulted Women’s Helpline Web-Security Erasing Your Tracks and Ontario.ca’s Hide Your Internet Activity provide steps on how you can erase your cache and browser history.
- Be careful about email. You may use a web-based account like Gmail or a program on your computer, such as Microsoft Outlook. Email programs can be set up to download from a web-based account. A password-protected web-based account can help you keep emails secret. If you use an email program on your computer, there are ways to delete emails permanently. But any email can be sent to the wrong person or get redirected or copied without your knowledge. “Keystroke” software can also be installed on your computer to record everything you type. So you may choose to avoid sending emails with information you don’t want others to read.
- Choose effective passwords for your email account or any action you do online, such as online banking, email, and Facebook. Avoid passwords that are easy to guess, such as your name or birthday. Effective passwords are usually longer than 8 characters; use both uppercase and lowercase letters; use numbers and symbols; and don’t include dictionary words or common names. Use different passwords for different online accounts, keep them safe and private and change them every so often. You can use an online “password generator” to create a strong password, such as the one offered by PC Tools. You can also test the strength of your passwords through online tools, such as the one offered by Microsoft.
- If you contact an organization for help, you can ask about their policies on collecting your information and keeping it private. You can tell them you’re concerned about privacy. It may be safer to call or visit an organization than email them.
- Sheltersafe provides more information about internet and email safety.
- The Community Safety Office at the University of Toronto, provides general safety tips for your personal safety at school, work, and at home.
Social Media Safety
Many people and organizations use social media like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Twitter, and WhatsApp to communicate. So do we. But there are specific safety considerations you should know about to maintain your privacy when using social media.
- Check your Facebook privacy settings to make sure you’re comfortable with the information other people can view about you. Check them often because Facebook won’t always inform you about changes to its privacy features. Lifehacker keeps an up-to-date guide on how to manage your privacy on Facebook. It’s also important to “friend” only people you trust and be careful what you post on other peoples’ pages as comments can be found in Google results.
- Twitter has information on how to keep your account safe. It’s important to be careful about Tweeting personal information because you may not always know the people who are following your account.
- Check Instagram’s privacy and safety tips
- Check TikTok’s privacy and safety tips
- Check Snapchat’s privacy and safety tips
- Check WhatsApp’s privacy settings
- If you use social media and email on your smarthphone, it may keep you logged into your accounts all the time. Consider using a hard-to-guess password to be able to get into your phone. You can also uninstall and remove applications that keep you logged into your accounts.
