Preventing Technology-Enabled Abuse
- Amanda Griffith
- Caroline Toler
The first line of defense against Technology Enabled Abuse is to protect yourself by limiting the amount of personal information you share online and increasing the security of both your accounts and your devices.
Check your devices and settings.
Go through your mobile device, apps, and online accounts to ensure other devices and accounts aren’t connected to yours.
Review your applications to ensure that there is no spyware downloaded on your device.
Review GPS and location-tracking settings for all applications and ensure they are enabled only for the important ones requiring it such as the Mobile ID app with your Mountaineer Card, the LiveSafe app, or Uber.
Turn off device-to-device access when you aren’t using it.
Turn off Bluetooth and location-sharing services when not in use.
Look for spikes in data usage that could indicate monitoring software is in use.
Consider the possibility of a hidden device or a camera as a gift.
Increase your security.
Change your username and passwords for online accounts you think are being accessed.
Enable strong authentication on all your personal accounts.
Enable security protections, such as passwords or biometric scans, so that only you can access your devices.
Always remember to log out or lock your screen before you step away from your computer/cell phone/tablet.
If you suspect your computer, tablet, or phone has been compromised, take it to a private computer repair shop for an assessment. Use a computer at a lab or library in the meantime. Consider purchasing a pre-paid or pay-as-you-go phone. Set up a passcode and don’t link the new device to old cloud accounts your abuser may know about. Never use the device you suspect is being monitored to login to or change passwords for any accounts.
Take steps to remove or reduce the availability of information about yourself online.
Don’t overshare on social media.
Regularly review the privacy settings on all your social media accounts.
Before you share intimate photos or videos, have a conversation about what the person will do with the content. If you choose to share intimate images, ensure you cannot be identified by not showing your face or identifying tattoos.
If your sensitive content is revealed online, you may report the content to the host site to be removed or you may file a report with search engines so that it does not appear in searches. For more information on how to reduce the impact of your sensitive content being shared, review the Safety Net Project’s guide to Removing Sensitive Content from the Internet.
Google yourself on a regular basis or set up a Google alert to be aware of what information about you is online.
Review this guide for voting & survivor privacy
Assess your state’s address confidentiality programs
Students can fill out the student confidentiality form to remove their information from the University directory, including MIX Gmail address and contact information.