Survivor Resources

Survivor Resources for Crime Victims

Online Safety Tips

Safe at Home program participants may seek additional resources to protect their residential addresses and other personal information from being exposed online. It is important to consider potential vulnerabilities such as shared accounts or email addresses, devices that have been shared or borrowed at any time, passwords that may be known to a perpetrator, and devices and apps with shared locations.

Safe at Home encourages program participants to discuss online and tech safety with a victim advocate as part of a comprehensive safety plan. Several resources for removing or protecting your online data are included below. Many more resources can be found by visiting the Safety Net Project.

Removing personal information from google

Google will remove some personal information from searches, such as a person’s physical address, phone number, email address, etc. Learn more about what information can be removed and the process to remove it here.

Removing information from data broker websites

Personal information, including home addresses, can often be found through online data brokers, private companies that compile personal information from various sources and make it available online either free or as a paid service. Program participants can search for data brokers online and seek the opt out option. This will often be an opt-out or “remove my information” link at the bottom of the page. Additionally, there are paid data deletion services that will search multiple data brokers and request that data be removed on behalf of subscribers. Safe at Home does not endorse any one personal data deletion service.

Stalkerware

Stalkerware includes apps, software, and devices that are secretly tracking activity such as GPS location, text messages, emails, and other app use. If you are concerned that there could be stalkerware on your phone or computer, visit the Coalition Against Stalkerware for information and resources.

In-Home technology and devices

For information and resources on how home technology such as smart doorbells and smart appliances may be compromised, visit Refuge Tech Safety’s webpage on home technology.

Nonconsensual digital pornography

1 in 12 adult social media users have been victims of image-based sex abuse, or “revenge porn.” To find resources for victims, including legal advice, visit the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative.