Website Browsing Safety

In the event that your abuser walks into the room, click the “Quick Escape” button in the lower left hand corner. You will be redirected to www.weather.com.

The safest way to learn about resources and to get help is by using a public computer, tablet or smartphone, such as those available at a workplace, public place, or by using a device belonging to trusted friends and family. This decreases the likelihood that an abuser would discover your interest in finding resources and help.

If you conduct searches using Google, Yahoo, Bing or other search engines, it is important to know that these services learn your search tendencies and make future suggestions based on your prior queries. Thus, someone using the same computer and browser may discover what types of information you have been seeking. Educate yourself on how to clear your search history after each session at Google, Yahoo and Bing.

The web sites you visit are tracked by your browser as well, unless you manually turn off the tracking or you clear your browsing history. Educate yourself on how to turn off the tracking or clear your browsing history at Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer, Firefox and Toolbar.

Most web sites drop “cookies” into your computer. Cookies are small files that hold a modest amount of data that help tailor the use of a web site during future visits, such as pre-populating fields to save you time. Learn how to delete cookies on your computer.

Your smartphone is essentially the same thing as your computer. This article contains excellent ideas that prevent others from accessing information on your smartphone. You should also consider deleting browsing history, cookies and search history from your phone.

If you happen to have a tablet, you’ll want to take similar steps with the settings and browser, as have been recommended above. Here is information on how to do so on an iPad, Kindle, Galaxy Note, Surface and Google Nexus.

The web site womenslaw.org has excellent advice to help you manage your email activity and accounts, as well as your social media activities, and improve your personal security.