Confidentiality

Confidentiality 2015-06-16T11:12:52-04:00

Confidentiality

→ Are you browsing safely?

Our Confidentiality Statement

We understand that speaking about any kind of abuse can be a very big risk. All information that you share with us will be treated as confidential, unless you specify otherwise. We will not share your email address or any other contact information that you provide with anyone outside our organization, and we will only share your information with each other as necessary to serve you within our organization. (If you are not comfortable sharing your email address with us, we encourage you to create a new email address for the purpose of corresponding with us.) We take all reasonable precautions to make sure that information shared on this website is secure and encrypted.

We encourage you to use a pseudonym when posting to our website to avoid potential complications from others finding out about your experiences. You may find it more comfortable to choose a completely new pseudonym to use here. Some people prefer to use their real name or a pseudonym connected with their real name because they already have an established presence and they feel it will give them more social capital to use for doing good for the community. If you’d like us to help you weigh the risks and benefits of using a name connected to your real name, we can certainly do that. Any name you decide to post under is fine, provided that it is appropriate and respectful of other users.

You can also submit to us anonymously. Writers who join our WordPress team cannot always post anonymously, but more sensitive posts can be published as an anonymous guest post instead of under your usual name.

If you would like your posts removed from the site for any reason, we will not hesitate to do so. Your safety and comfort comes before everything else. You do not have to explain. We understand.

Browsing Safely

If you are currently in a situation where a dangerous person might have access to your computer or mobile devices, please read here about how you can protect your browsing information. Try to find a safer computer to browse from if you can. RAINN provides links to resources to help you find a safe computer.

If someone suddenly approaches while you are reading, you can click the “Escape” link at the top of the page, and it will take you to the Google home page. In case you are afraid others might read over your shoulder, use ctrl - on Windows or cmd - on Mac to zoom out the text (ctrl + or cmd +restores it)—in case that doesn’t work, look for the option to zoom in or out in your browser’s menu. Resize the browser window’s width to make the banner size smaller.

For more information on how to protect yourself, this video on Digital Self-Defense provides excellent information. It is an hour long, however, so here are the key points:

  • Always make sure your software is up to date and you are running virus scans regularly. If there is a keylogger or other virus on your computer, no other precautions you take will matter.
  • Use two-factor authentification (also called two-step verification) to lock hackers and other potentially dangerous people out of your accounts—this is especially important for email accounts.
  • You can also use a password manager like LastPass, Password Safe, or KeePass to keep your accounts secure.
  • If you use Twitter, a service like Block Together can help keep people from harassing you.