October is for Domestic Violence Awareness!
Domestic violence shows up in many forms, and technology-facilitated abuse has become a concerning trend. The rise in mobile devices and internet access has given abusers new avenues to cause harm and inflict pain in online spaces and via technology.
So, what is technology-facilitated abuse?
It involves the use of technology and online platforms like social media, texting, and GPS trackers to bully, harass, stalk, intimidate, or control a partner, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline. A person may be experiencing technology-facilitated abuse if their partner:
- Regularly sends them insulting, threatening, or harassing messages
- Looks through their phone frequently and monitors their texts/calls
- Sends unwanted and explicit pictures or demands they be sent, using intimidation or blackmail to make a ‘no’ answer feel impossible
- Uses social media or malicious software to track their location and activity
- Demands access to account passwords or gains access without permission
For those fleeing abusive partners or unsafe situations, maintaining online privacy is critical. By practicing simple digital safety we can protect both our data and ourselves.
What is digital safety?
The term ‘digital safety’ surmises the practices and precautions individuals take to protect their personal information, devices, and online interactions from tech abuse.
What are some tips for protecting your privacy online?
In this day in age, it’s nearly impossible for anyone to stay away from online spaces. We use social media to connect with friends, stay up to day on current events, search for career opportunities, and to find entertainment. Understanding that being online is a necessary part of life in 2025, it’s important that we learn how to navigate the digital world— like any other environment— safely.
Here are a few simple steps you can follow to keep yourself safe online:
- Be mindful of who and what you share on online platforms. It’s normal to want to post updates about your life online, however, to avoid future threats to your privacy and well-being, we recommend not posting phone numbers, addresses, schools attended, employers, and photos with identifiable landmarks.
- Always log out of devices that are not your own or that are for public use. If you do not have your personal devices or must use public ones or those belonging to other people, like friends, remember to log out of these devices or browse in incognito mode.
- Change your password immediately if you notice suspicious activity. If you receive a message from an online platform indicating that someone has attempted to access your account, change your password immediately.
Develop a tech safety plan.
At Sojourner House, when we work with clients who have recently left or are trying to leave abusive situations, we advise them to develop a tech safety plan. This plan will contain a prioritized list of coping strategies to help them maintain their privacy and safety online. While developing these plans, these are some of our first steps:
- Device mapping: We ask clients to create a ‘device map’ to track what devices they may be automatically logged into and who has access to those devices.
- Turning off location: We help clients to opt out of location-based features on social media platforms and other applications to keep their location private.
- Evidence documentation: If there is digital evidence of abusive behavior (text messages, video and audio recordings, emails, etc.) we advise clients to capture it and store it safely in case they need it for future legal proceedings.
Helpful tools
- Incognito Mode: We recommend using private (or “incognito”) browsing mode when researching information about domestic violence programs or forming an exit plan.
- Take It Down: This is a free service operated by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children that can help you remove or stop the online sharing of nude, partially nude, or sexually explicit images or videos taken of you when you were under 18 years old.
- 1Password: Using a password manager like 1Password can help you keep your accounts safe. 1Password creates a unique password for every account you have (email, Facebook, Spotify, etc.), but allows you to access them all using one security key.
Does Sojourner House offer any trainings for those looking to learn more about technology-facilitated abuse or digital safety?
Yes! Sojourner House conducts training that educates individuals on the risks associated with having an online presence and best practices to limit the access others can have to someone virtually.
On Tuesday, October 21st from 3:30-5pm, Sojourner House will be facilitating a free training called “Protect Your Tech: Helping Survivors Secure Their Online Presence” at the United Way of Rhode Island.
Are you a survivor of abuse looking for support?
This blog post was written by Juwan Cook, Faith Otchere, and Shannon McDonnell