How Can Women Take Control Of Their Online Safety?

Everyone deserves to feel safe online. Unfortunately, while the Internet offers significant benefits and opportunities, it provides perpetrators with a wider and more sophisticated range of tools to harm victims. They abuse, harass, and stalk their victims, and this behaviour is unacceptable. Although women are more at risk of digital violence than men, the safety advice available doesn’t take their circumstances into account. Addressing this requires a shift toward inclusive, adaptable frameworks informed by real experiences. Guidance from family and friends isn’t necessarily helpful.

Our top tips are:

Keep Your Password Safe

Don’t use the same password across multiple websites and apps, and never share your password. Otherwise, it will put you in the line of fire. Just because you believe you have nothing worth stealing, that doesn’t change the reality that your personal data holds value. If a malicious actor gets hold of the password for one of your accounts, they will use it to sign into more of your accounts, and once inside, they can steal sensitive information, impersonate you, and even lock you out of your own accounts.

If you’re not using a password manager, you should be. Long and complex passwords are automatically safe but difficult to remember, so if you don’t want to be stuck with easily guessable and low-strength credentials, use a password manager. You don’t need to think twice before handing every password over to one company, but you should be cautious and deliberate. Select a provider with a strong security track record and transparent audits. Placing all your logins in one place is way better than recycling the same login details everywhere.

Refrain From Private Chats Or DMs With Unknown Individuals

Billions of people are online every day, and many are talking to strangers on sites like Discord, Reddit, and Facebook. Opening up your social circle to the Internet isn’t such a good idea because it can lead to deceptive interactions, which can involve direct lies, omissions, or misleading statements designed to gain an advantage. Tempting as it may be to connect, even for a short while, around a particular interest or aspect of life, don’t get emotionally invested. Not everyone on social media is real.

The instantaneous and anonymous nature of online chats is appealing to threat actors who use tactics like harassment, impersonation, grooming, and blackmail, to name a few. These interactions are deeply unsettling, to say the least, and affect your mental health and well-being. Malicious actors manipulate women and gain their trust, after which they send requests for explicit images or personal details. At times, they coerce victims to take part in camera-based sexual activities. There’s always the risk of coming across someone who misrepresents themselves, either using fake photos or those generated with AI, so keep your eyes open.

Make sure you’re only sharing information and posts with the people you want when using social media sites or other online services. Even if you use a product or a service, you still have the right to withhold personal details that aren’t critical to its use, and the same goes for any requests like tracking your location or accessing your microphone. Setting posts to public can expose your content to a wider audience, and that information can be used for nefarious purposes. Change the default audience so that your future posts are automatically private.

Social media content can appear in Google and Bing search results, and this is the wake-up call you need to start treating every post as if the whole world could see it. Make your profile(s) harder to find, and while you’re at it, set limits on who can send you friend requests or direct messages. You won’t get a notification about these messages, but you can read them without the other person knowing you’ve taken a peek. Avoid clicking on links and ads from suspicious sources, as this may expose your device and your account to hacking.

Never Leave Your Laptop Unattended Or Unlocked

If you use your computer in public spaces like libraries or cafés for convenience, work, and access to information, make sure you never leave it unattended or unlocked because anyone can steal it, copy your files, use your accounts, or install malicious software. Try to finish tasks before you need to step away. If you know you’ll be moving around, you should use your phone or tablet instead of a computer for email, basic browsing, and so on. Maybe you have no choice but to walk away. In that case, lock your screen using a strong password or PIN and close the lid.

Avoid Tagging Your Location

You can add a short label to your social media post or story to highlight where you are or where something happened. This connects your content to a specific place, such as a city, venue, café, or event, and increases its visibility to those browsing that area. Tagging your location can enable stalking and other forms of coercive control. Anyone can track your movements, find your frequent locations, and monitor your activities, so don’t underestimate the risks that come with such behaviour. Someone with ill intent can take advantage of your location data to target your home when you’re far away or manipulate you.

Opting out of location sharing is a smart privacy move. Online advertisers collect the personal data you add to different online accounts to better predict what you might like, and thanks to location sharing, they know your whereabouts and neighbourhood haunts. Cybercriminals use geotagged photos and posts to impersonate you or tailor a scam to your interests. For example, they can fabricate a fundraiser for your town. The only time it makes sense to keep location sharing on is when you need real-time directions or use ride-sharing apps. Also, feel free to share your location with emergency services.

Bottom Line

You’re the expert in managing your own risk and safety, so if you feel that an action will put you in danger, trust your instincts.

How Can Women Take Control Of Their Online Safety?