TOUCH-TONE TELEPHONE SAFETY

INTERNET SAFETY

• E-mail - Email is not a safe or confidential way to communicate. Sending email is like sending a postcard through the mail. If you need to talk to someone about the danger or abuse in your life, if possible, please consider calling a domestic violence hotline instead. Emails are not confidential; they can be traced even after you have deleted them. Instead, call a hotline and ask for assistance in figuring out next steps.
• If you must use email to discuss your situation we suggest you use an account that an abuser doesn't know about.  Use a computer at an Internet café, library, or a friend or family member’s house. If you still decide to use email, doing the following things can help you protect your privacy:
• When setting up your email account:
• Do not check off the box "Remember my Username" or "Remember my password.
• Avoid including information that could identify you in your email address, such as your name.
• Use a password that is easy for you to remember but hard for others to guess, as anyone who guesses your password will have access to your private correspondence.
• Do not share your password with anyone. If at any point you do, change it.
• In email correspondence, avoid including information that your partner/former partner may be able to use against you.
• After deleting messages from your sent box or inbox, empty the "trash can" or "deleted items". However, be aware that after taking these steps, messages can be recovered from your email service provider.
• You may also set up a new account with a free email service like hotmail, yahoo, or gmail.  DO NOT use a name or password that contains any identifying information (no names, nicknames, initials, birthdates, zip codes, etc.) Instead use a name and password that contains a random mix of letters, CAPITAL letters and numbers (for example, HJ3v67Tn) - Make sure you can remember the user name and password! If you must write it down somewhere, put it in a place where an abuser is unlikely to find it. If the computer asks if you would like it to save your password or login information tell it NO.
• Email attachments may contain spyware. Spyware can be downloaded onto your computer and track your actions. Do not open attachments unless you trust the source that sent the email to you and you are sure of the content in the attachment.
  
  
• Internet browsing - If you are afraid that someone is monitoring your computer activities, please use a safer computer.
• Computers record everything you do. It is IMPOSSIBLE to clear your tracks completely.  Your computer stores hundreds of bits of information about everything you do with your computer, including information about which websites you've visited, your passwords, and what your emails say. An abuser can readily track the websites you visit or read your email messages.  
• If you suspect your activities are being monitored, they probably are.  Abusive people are often controlling and want to know your every move. You don’t need to be a computer programmer or have special skills to monitor someone’s computer activities – anyone can do it and there are many ways to monitor your activities - even without having direct access to your computer.
• If you must use a computer that an abuser knows about, we suggest "safer" Internet surfing. For example, if you are planning to flee to California, don't look just at California web pages for jobs, apartments, bus tickets, etc.  Look for the same information in at least a half dozen other states, too.
  
  
• Chat rooms, mailing lists, bulletin boards and newsgroups - Some ways to help protect your privacy and be safer while using these resources include:
• Not trusting anyone with your personal information. It is impossible for you to know whether your partner, or someone known to your partner is also participating.
• When setting up your login name/username, avoid using information that could identify you such as your name or your email address if it has your name on it.

HOW TO CLEAR YOUR BROWSER'S CACHE, COOKIES AND HISTORY

Internet Explorer

1. Press "Tools" from the drop-down menus across the top-left of the browser window.
2. Press "Internet Options" from this menu.
3. In the middle of this window, in the "Temporary Internet Files" section, choose "Delete Files". Make sure that the "Delete all offline content" box is checked and press "OK". This deletes all cookies and stored graphics.
4. If you have Explorer version 6.0, press "Delete Cookies". When the window appears, press "OK". (Users of Explorer 5.5 or earlier will not have this button. To find out which version of Explorer you have, press the "Help" button in the top of the browser. Choose "About Internet Explorer" and the resulting window will tell you which version you have.)
5. Proceed to the "History" section and press the "Clear History" button. When the window appears, press "Yes".
6. Close the browser.

Netscape Navigator Versions 4x- 6x

1. Select "Edit" from the drop-down menus across the top-left of the browser window.
2. Select "Preferences" from this menu.
3. Select the "Advanced" button under "Category"
4. Click "Cache"
5. When the window appears, click "Clear Memory Cache" and "Clear Disk Cache". Close the window.

1. Select "Edit" from the drop-down menus across the top-left of the browser window.
2. Select "Preferences" from this menu.
3. Select "Navigator" button under the "Category" listing
4. Select "History" listing
5. Click "Clear History"

1. Select "Edit" from the drop-down menus across the top-left of the browser window.
2. Select "Preferences" from this menu.
3. Select the "Privacy & Security" button under the "Category" listing
4. Select the "Cookies" listing
5. Select the "View Stored Cookies" button
6. Click the "Remove All Cookies" button