Have you ever been harassed in the street?
Received a crass message on a dating app?
Had a coworker make a comment about your appearance that just didn’t sit right?
You’re not alone.
Whether in person or online, women everywhere have experienced it in one way or another.
Women are often targeted simply because they are women.
Attacks are often sexualized or misogynistic, and rhetoric tends to focus on their bodies and sexual violence.
However, there are ways we can protect ourselves.
Our job is to give you the tools you oughta do that.
And its not just celebrities and public figures who get abuse heaped on them.
In fact, Amnesty International released areportchastising X for not appropriately addressing harassment of women.
And for some particularly journalists and activists this can bedetrimental to their careers.
The violation cited was that one of her tweets included a private phone number.
But with so many abusive posts against women not resulting in suspended accounts, many women had had enough.
5 Ways to Protect Yourself as a Woman on X
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In fact, businesses often do so that target different audiences.
Youll want to create a personal profile and a public one.
confirm that the only people you let follow you are people that you know and trust.
How to Change Your Privacy tweaks on X:
From the main feed, select your profile picture.
Making this change retroactively protects your older tweets too.
To create an additional account, choose your profile icon.
Then, sign out of your account.
On the logout screen, you should see the option to create a new account.
This second profile will be your public one.
Another option is to simply keep this profile anonymous.
Note thatyou cant keep both accounts open on the same web client at the same time.
One way to deal with this is with the app Block Party.
Its most helpful when youre being attacked by an army of trolls.
In addition to blocking users, it’s possible for you to also report abusive incidents to X.
In fact, according to ananalysisfrom the nonprofit, Women Action and the Media (WAM!
),67% of women who reported abuse claimed to have notified X at least once before.
Still, its definitely worth reporting abusive tweets and accounts, since doing so is really easy.
X does not currently provide a way of checking the status of reports of abuse.
That said, X will notify you about the result once the report has been processed.
X might also send a follow-up message if it needs more information on the reported account or post.
Dont Geotag
Geotagging is whenyour post includes the location from which it was sent.
To keep yourself safe fromdoxingand stalking, its best not to use this function.
Fortunately, geotagging requires you to opt in, so by default your location wont be shown.
When you compose a tweet, youll see a location button at the bottom.
(It looks like a dropped pin.)
If you tap it, youll have the option of adding your location to your tweet.
Prevent Doxing
The most extreme form of online harassment is doxing.
You may have heard the term for the first time with reports of #gamergate back in 2014.
They were also doxed.
Because a lot of interactions take place on Skype, theres no hiding the fact that shes a woman.
Of course, those in the gaming industry arent the only ones at risk for doxing.
But you dont have to engage in controversial political activities to be doxed.Some have been doxed accidentally.
4 Ways to Keep from Getting Doxed
5.
That said, regular people also have their accounts hacked with alarming frequency.
If you do see this, the first thing youre going to want to do is change your password.
Her nipple was definitely not showing.
Rachel had beenusing that profile picture for two years already, and no one had ever said anything.
She enlarged the photo and carefully examined it.
Maybe what he saw was the shadow from her top?
But he was insistent, andwas soon asking for more nude pics.
It waskind ofa provocative photo, wasnt it?Maybe she should have expected this kind of a reaction.
Rachels story isnt so shocking.
No one got raped.
It actually sounds like a pretty run-of-the-mill social media encounter.
And soliciting sexy photos is just one of the myriad forms Facebook harassment can take.
5 Ways to Protect Yourself as a Woman on Facebook
1.
SelectSettings & privacy, then selectSettings.
Navigate to theAudience and visibilitysection.
From here youll be able to manage exactly who can see your posts and how people can contact you.
Next, go toProfile and tagging.
That way you might be sure that certain people wont see sensitive information if you dont want them to.
Its best not to use this function.
ButGeotagging isnt the only way people can figure out where you are.
Ever notice how after going to a particular store you suddenly start seeing ads for it on Facebook?
Or you meet someone at a party and the next day Facebook suggests them as a friend?
How to See Where Facebook Has Tracked Your Location:
grab the hamburger menu, then go toSettings.
Under the sectionYour activity, selectActivity log.
Scroll down and selectLogged information > Location.
A log will appearshowing your location for as long as youve had location prefs enabled.
For some, thats going back years.
Navigate to your Locations as described above.
Then, delete Locations from the log or simply click theClear Locationsbutton.
One reason people create fake accounts is to impersonate other users.
That said,a smart imposter is going to block you so you cant see the fake account.
If they do that, enlist a friend to report the profile for you.
In these cases, one simple way to protect yourself is tomake most of your photos private.
That said, sending revealing photos can be risky if they get into the wrong hands.
Fortunately, Facebook already has analgorithm that identifies and removes nude images.
But the idea, which is first being tested in Australia, is bound to raise some eyebrows.
After assessing the report and the photo, Facebook will then delete it.
Because Facebook owns Instagram, this will prevent the image from being disseminated there as well.
There are a few issues with this approach.
First, you have to know the images are out there in the first place.
(Sometimes photos and videos are taken without the victims knowledge or consent.)
Online harassment did too.
Besides trolling,many women are susceptible to revenge porn, dick pics, and other non-consensual nude photography.
3 Ways to Protect Yourself as a Woman on Instagram and SnapChat
1.
Lets say youre at a restaurant and want to Insta a picture of your dish.
Its nice to tag the restaurant because it gives them PR.
But,by tagging this restaurant, you place yourself in that location.
Any stalker now knows exactly where you are.
Similarly, if you enablegeolocationsettings, youre even more at risk.
Butif your geolocation is on, whoever sees your picture will know exactly where you are.
Butanyone with the slightest bit of tech savvy can then find that information through your SnapChat account.
This goes for both Instagram and Snapchat.
How to Make Your Account Private on SnapChat:
Go toSettings>View My Story» Friends Only/Custom.
Harassment at Work
Unfortunately, abuse is also prevalent in work environments.
Arecent poll by TUCshowed that almost three in five women (58%) have experienced workplace sexual harassment.
However, some examples of sexual harassment include:
1.
Sharing sexually inappropriate images or videos.
Sending letters, texts, or emails with suggestive content.
Telling lewd jokes or sexual anecdotes.
But even these are ambiguous!
So, how do you know its sexual harassment?
If yes, chances are theres an underlying tone that should be considered sexual harassment.
Yet, it still happens.
How to Report Harassment at Work
1.
Include the time, date, and location of the incident.
Report It
once you nail evidence, its time to file a report.
How to Write an Email to Report Sexual Harassment:
It can seem daunting to construct that first email.
Thank you for looking into this matter.
Should you need any more information, I am happy to provide it.
A professional well-versed in the laws in your area should be able to guide you in your next steps.
In this scenario, you gotta take the situation into your own hands.
Ariel found it empowering to confront the harasser head on.
Another potential pitfall: your resume.
Many people upload their resumes without considering thattheir email address and phone number appear in the header.
But, thats the problem.
Because most harassment is not so blatant, its harder for women to validate and report it.
4 Ways to Protect Yourself as a Woman on LinkedIn
1.
Before accepting a LinkedIn connection, check the degrees of separation.
Do you have connections in common?
Do they work in your industry?
If not, dont accept.
If you receive an unsolicited message, you’ve got the option to decide to block them.
Just punch the three dots at the top right and then click Report this conversation.
- you could also block that person from viewing your profile or contacting you.
Go to the persons profile, click More>Report/Block and follow the instructions.
If someone wants to contact you for your work, they can do it through LinkedIn.
There is no guarantee that these suggestions will protect you 100%.
However, they do provide you with more control regarding who can contact you.
Online dating is where women are most vulnerable to cyber-sexual harassment.
For instance, Esme* met Raphael on the app Happn.
Finally, Esme blocked him and reported him to Happn.
And when he tried to call her, she blocked his number too.
Similarly, its pretty easy tounknowingly become the accomplice of a catfisher.
Take Cori*, for instance.
Unfortunately, theres no way to both meet people online and ensure youll never be a victim.
However, there are ways to protect yourself.
3 Ways to Protect Yourself as a Woman on Dating Sites
1.
Look for inconsistencies in their pictures and profile descriptions.
If you find any, report the profile to your app.
Get to Know Them on the App
Chat on the app before moving the conversation to a different platform.
This gives you a sense of who they are before exposing further details about your personal life.
If you don’t want someone to see any of this information, change your privacy configs.
Keep Your Social Media Accounts and Pictures Private.
This minimizes the chance of someone stealing your pictures and using them on dating sites.
Safe Sexting
Most adults are familiar with safe sex.
This is important since sexting is on the rise.
However, the fact that a lot of people do it doesnt mean its not without its risks.
Stories of revenge porn and hacks that have exposed peoples intimate photos are commonplace.
What we are going to do is give you some easy tips on how to sext safely.
7 Ways to Protect Yourself While Sexting
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That means making sure your pics dont include your face, unusual birthmarks, or tattoos.
Fortunately, there are several apps available that can prevent morning after regrets.
For instance,Drunk Locker is a really comprehensive app for when you know youre going to be partying.
That said, theres nothing stopping the person receiving your photos from taking a screenshot and saving them.
Although SnapChat allows screenshots, itll send you a notification when one is taken.
Confide, a well-encrypted app that automatically deletes messages and photos,doesnt allow receivers to take screenshots.
But again, if someone is really committed to saving your nudes, theyll find a way.
Some options are KeepSafe and Gallery Lock.
Plus, if someone repeatedly tries to login and fails, the app will take their picture.
Bear in mind though, even on a desktop its possible to get hacked.
Therefore, you shouldsave your sensitive photos in an encrypted file.
Its not enough to put them in the trash and then take out the trash.
Instead, you should log into Google Photos or iCloud anddelete them individually.
Take the precautions you might and choose your sexting partners wisely.
IRL (In Real Life) Attacks
Obviously, attacks on women dont just happen online.
Sometimes perpetrators are people we know, likea controlling partner.
After a slew of bad press, Uber selected a new CEO.
Andit looks like since then, the company has finally started taking passenger safety seriouslyby rolling out some initiatives.
The main change allows you to share your ride with up to five trusted contacts.
This meansyour friends can follow along during your trip and see that you arrived at your destination.
Uber continues to expand its initiatives that help ensure passenger safety.
Before their first trip, every Uber driver undergoes a thoroughscreening process.
These screenings are repeated on a yearly basis to help ensure that wrongdoers are unable to use Ubers platforms.
Check the Drivers Reviews
One nice feature of ridesharing apps is they allow riders to rate their drivers.
If yours has bad reviews, cancel the ride and call another one.
If the route looks strange, speak up.
4 Ways to Protect the Contents of Your Phone
1.
You might also have the option to set your phone so it will only open with your fingerprint.
Another cool feature is the smart lock.
your home), or if youre near other trusted devices.
Some phones will even give you voice and facial recognition options.
However,in order for this feature to work, you should probably set it up in advance.
If you have an Android, you have a couple of options.
Another option is to download theFind My unit app from the Google Play Store.
This app works the same way as Samsungs and only requires you to have a Google account.
From there youll also be able to reset your phones password.
A smart thief will know to disable those functions so you cant track where he and your phone are.
There you’re able to also put your phone into Lost Mode, which will lock it.
like call 212-555-1234 to return.
Erase Your Data
This is the nuclear option.
To cut them off,call your service provider and let them know your phone has been stolen.
If you have an Android, the easiest way to backup your data is to use the Google cloud.
If you have an iPhone, use the iCloud.
In that case you should…
4.
This will likely include your email, social media accounts, bank accounts, and app stores.
Popular categories for meetups include film, health and wellness, LGBTQ, and pets.
Its a fantastic way to make new friends and cultivate your interests.
But didnt your mom always tell you not to talk to strangers?
Was she really onto something, or just being paranoid?
A little of both.
3 Ways to Protect Yourself on Meetup.com
1.
Just go to your account and click prefs>Privacy.
From thereyou can choose whether you want your groups or interests listed on your profile.
Also,if the meetup involves drinks, never leave yours unattended.
Preventing Intimate Partner Violence
Intimate partner violence (IPV) affects nearly one third of American women.
Although technology can provide tools for victims (e.g.
for collecting evidence against an abuser), it can also unfortunately be used by perpetrators.
Some of those used includefind my phone apps, and family tracking and child monitoring apps.
As mentioned above, there are alsoapps explicitly marketed for nonconsensual surveillance.
So what can you do to protect yourself?
3 Ways to Keep an Abusive Partner from Surveilling You
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There are even companies that will sell phones that are already rooted, or that have surveillance software pre-installed.
If you suspect your partner is accessing your machine, immediately change your password.
These let younotify friends or family when youre feeling unsafe, and/orcontact emergency services.
Some types of phones have these features built in, so its worth checking to see if yours does.
If not, check out these apps, all of which are available for both Android and iOS.
At the same time, the appautomatically contacts local emergency services.
This can include medical conditions and emergency contact info.
The app also gives you the option of calling the fire department, an ambulance, or the police.
How to set a lock screen message will vary depending on what model phone you have.
- Some names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.
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