Digital Safety Resources

It’s easy to forget how much of our private life might be visible online. Bolstering your digital security and tightening your privacy settings empowers you to be in control of what you’re sharing with the world.

Password managers are one of the most effective ways to protect yourself from harassers online. They generate long secure passwords, store them safely for you, and fill them in for you automatically when you need to log into your accounts. **It is important that the password manager you use is encrypted. Some options: 

Data scrubbers are services that comb the web and remove your private information, such as home addresses, from data brokers, which can help protect you from doxing, hacking, and impersonation. Some options:

For guidance on how to manually remove your information from data broker sites for free, see Consumer Reports’ Permission Slip tool, Yael Grauer’s Big Ass Data Broker Opt Out List, and Optery’s Opt-Out Guides.

Two-factor authentication is an added layer of security that requires you to retrieve a code or confirm access from a secondary device before logging into your account. **Just remember to save your back-up codes somewhere safe so you don’t get locked out of your account! Some options:

Taking Control of Your Digital Footprint

Device Hygiene and Encrypted Messaging

VPN technology allows you to connect to a server via an encrypted connection. All data that is transferred between your personal computer and a VPN server is scrambled so that no one else can read it.

Additional Digital Safety Resources

Legal Resources

Leveraging the law to mitigate online abuse can be an uphill battle, but there are specific forms of harassment—such as cyberstalking, non-consensual intimate imagery, and true threats of violence—that can be addressed through the judicial system. A lawyer can help determine whether there are legal remedies available.

Legal Guidance

  • PEN America's Know Your Rights: A Legal Training for Reporters Webinar
  • International Press Institute offers comprehensive guidance on what to consider when pursuing legal support
  • Thomson Reuters Foundation, INSI, & IWMF's Know Your Rights Guide

Legal Defense Resources

  • The Reporters Committee Legal Hotline (1-800-336-4243)
  • Reporter's Shield for lawsuit-risk training and legal funding assistance
  • ProJourn for no-cost legal help w/pre-publication review & public records access
  • Lawyers for Reporters for pro bono legal services to local reporting organizations and individual journalists
  • Freelance Investigative Reporters and Editors' Legal Consultancy for access to pro bono attorneys
  • Cyber Civil Rights Initiative's Safety Center for victims of intimate image abuse

Legal Defense Funds

Mental Health Resources

Online abuse is isolating—it can be traumatic, disempowering, and exhaustinge. Receiving help from a counselor or therapist is a great option for those with access to healthcare and/or the time to pursue this particular option. We recognize that this might not be possible for everyone. Whatever your situation, there are a number of options—including free online apps and sliding-scale therapeutic resources—available to help you navigate online abuse.

Mental Health Guidance

  • PEN America’s Guide to Practicing Self-Care (including a list of apps and sites offering free mental health support) Read Mozilla’s Privacy Guide for Mental Health Apps here.

Directories of Mental Health Professionals

Mental Health Funds

Helplines

Physical Safety Resources

For further guidance, please visit: 

   Last Updated August 2023