Caution: If you're worried about someone knowing you have visited this or other websites please read the following computer safety information.
Disclaimer: The information provided below will not completely cover your tracks. Always seek the advice of a technology professional for computer support.
- Wherever you are staying during domestic violence, remember that it is important to maintain the privacy of the location.
- If you want to be completely sure of not being tracked online at home, the safest way might be to access the Internet at a local library, school, college or at a friend's house on their computer(s).
- Think carefully before telling a friend or family member where you are. You may also need to talk with children about what to tell others (including the perpetrator) if asked where they are staying.
Technology safety issues to consider:
- Smart phones and other electronic devices often have built-in GPS tracking systems that can be used to locate you, even when the device is turned off.
- For your own security and that of others, you might consider leaving laptop computers, tablets, and phones in another secure location.
- Some social media sites can also track your location. Be careful accessing these sites via smart phone or computer when using these sites.
- If you have older children, it may be important to talk to them about the safety risks of using social media as well.
- Make sure that you don’t add this website address to your bookmarks.
- Websites that you have visited are stored on your computer and smart portable devices, including smart phones and tablets, as 'temporary internet files' and 'cookies'.
- There are numerous browsers and Apps to include Safari®, Internet Explorer®, Firefox® by Mozilla, and many more. Each browser and smart device has its own way of clearing or removing cached cookies and visited sites; try searching on Google® for "clear cookies" or "clear visited web sites" as related to your specific browser and/or operating system.
- Toolbars such as Google®, BING® and Yahoo® keep a record of the search words you have typed into the toolbar search box. In order to erase all the search words you have typed in, you will need to check the individual instructions for each type of toolbar.
- There are so many email programs and apps that they cannot all be covered here. As a general rule of thumb and if there's a risk that someone may know how to access your emails, it's a may be necessary to set up a new email account.
- Email you have previously sent may be stored in the Sent Items folder. Go to Sent Items and delete emails you don't want. You may even have to delete emails a second time in the Deleted emails folder.
- If you started an email but didn't finish it, it might be in your Drafts folder. Go to the Drafts folder to delete it.
