Internet Privacy | Phone Privacy | More Information
Your internet activity may not be secure or private.
Technology can assist battered women in their search for resources, relocation efforts, communication with support people via email and more. However, the computer can also be used by a batterer to further control and abuse. An abuser with some computer knowledge can track computer and internet use, discovering documents that have been opened and websites visited. The best option is to USE A SAFE COMPUTER that the abuser cannot access, such as one at the public library, a friends house or at work.
For more detailed information about how to make your Internet activities safer, please read the following:
If someone who is abusive to you has access to your computer, you may want to call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7283), TDD 1-800-787-3224 instead of emailing any organization.
If you are deaf or hearing impaired and use a TTY machine, clear the memory (history) of conversations you don't want saved.
Fax machines (and computers that fax) may display the fax number of the sender on the fax printout. Line blocking may not keep the sender's fax number from being revealed. Do not fax from a phone number you are trying to protect. If a fax is needed, businesses such as Kinko's may accept faxes for a small fee.
It is easy to overhear conversations on most cordless phones by using scanners, other cordless phones, radios, etc. Do not use them for private/confidential information. 900 MHZ cordless phones are safe from most scanners. It is also possible for cellular/wireless phone conversations to be overheard. To be safe do not use a cell phone for private conversations. If calling 911 with a cell phone, immediately give your detailed location since dispatchers have no way of knowing your address.
Answering machines are great for screening calls and increasing privacy, but don't put your name or phone number on the greeting. If someone chooses to leave a message on an answering machine, permission to be taped is assumed. Therefore, the tape may be used in court. If there is a harassing message or violation of a protection order on an answering machine, save that message tape if possible and do not tape over it with new messages. If you have a digital answering machine, call the police for instructions - they may come listen to the message to witness it.
For more information about Internet safety please consider reviewing the following articles:
Domestic Violence Organizations Online: Risks, Ethical Dilemmas, and Liability Issues
This document outlines the risk and liability issues related to use of the Internet and suggests risk-management guidelines to protect organizations from liability. This paper also discusses the lack of empirical research in online service delivery and suggests research approaches for further understanding of the use of online services.
Helpful or Harmful?: How Innovative Communication Technology Affects Survivors of Intimate Violence
This paper explores: 1) the prevalence of web usage by both survivors of intimate violence and the organizations that serve them; 2) the ways in which batterers misuse communication technology to monitor and control their partners activities; and 3) precautions that survivors and organizations can employ to safeguard themselves from liability, harm, and ethical conundrums.
Survivors of Intimate Violence Seek Help Online: Implications of Responding to Increasing Requests
This article documents a one-year study of unsolicited email requests sent to Violence Against Women Online Resources. This article explores some of the implications of responding to requests from survivors online; and seeks to raise awareness about one particular website's increasing number of electronic help-seeking requests. The author calls for a national discussion on responding to such requests and underscores the importance of developing a strategic plan to address the issue.
This research report describes how and why two Midwestern domestic violence organizations use Internet and wireless communication technologies.
