The end of a relationship could trigger unwanted behaviors, like cyber harassment. On Monday, October 24th, 2019, Albuquerque’s Office of Neighborhood Coordination gave us some safety suggestions for this kind of harassment in the Neighborhood Weekly E-news. As usual, please forward this blog to your family and friends that will find it useful.
“Breaking up is hard to do, as well all know, but can be dangerous for survivors of abusive relationships. Even if you’re able to physically leave the relationship, the abusive ex-partner can still cause harm online and using social media. As part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, here are some safety suggestions for avoiding and dealing with digital abuse:
Clearly tell your ex to stop harassing you, if you feel safe doing so. If you send a text message or an e-mail telling them to stop harassing you, keep a copy of your electronic communication and DO NOT respond to any messages they might send you afterward.
Save all electronic communications. You might want to delete them, but it’s better to save them somewhere safe online, either in another e-mail folder, or by keeping screenshots of text messages. Make sure the date and time are included in the saved messages.
Increase your online privacy. Set your social media profiles to the maximum privacy settings, change passwords, block or “unfriend” your ex, and don’t provide details of your social plans or whereabouts, such as checking in on Facebook or using apps like Foursquare.
If your ex is harassing you via e-mail, create a separate e-mail account with a difficult-to-guess password and only use it with people you trust.
Let people in your support system know you’re being harassed, and ask them to help by not “tagging” you on social media or otherwise mentioning your location online.
You can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 and you can visit: http://www.thehotline.org/help/tech-social-media-safety-2/ for more ideas about online safety.”
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