Why Get Safe?
We lock the doors to our houses, but our whole lives are stored on our phones and computers. If we don’t lock down our devices, all of our personal information is easily accessed by stalkers, identity thieves, and even the government. All your photos, your banking info, your emails, every message you’ve ever sent -- if it falls into the wrong hands, it can put you and the people you care about in danger.
Where do I Start?
Get Safe shows you what you can do to start securing your most private information. Protecting your privacy can feel overwhelming. Get Safe makes it easy -- like taking a simple online survey. We'll walk you through some basic steps that will dramatically increase the safety of the personal information stored on your phone and computer. It's quick, you don’t need to be tech savvy, and it’s worth it just for the peace of mind.
Where Can I Learn More?
Get Safe is just a starting point. Digital security is an ongoing process that needs regular and frequent attention. There are many digital security tools and best practices that are not listed here.
Protecting Equity, Justice, and Freedom: Vulnerable communities (people of color, LGBTQ, religious minorities, domestic abuse victims, sex workers, among many others), activists, journalists, attorneys, and human rights workers are more likely to be high-risk targets online. If you are at high-risk of being spied on, harassed, or having your information compromised or stolen, you should seek out more advanced digital safety materials or get expert advice.
You can find more resources for high-risk Internet users here:
- Digital Security Helpline: Access Now’s Digital Security Helpline is a free-of-charge resource available 24/7 for civil society around the world and is available with support in eight languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Russian, Tagalog, and Arabic.
- Equality Labs offers a digital self-defense curriculum (along with many useful one-page resources) that you can find here.
- Speak Up and Stay Safe(r): a guide (available in English, Spanish, and Arabic) to protecting yourself from online harassment, co-authored by Renee Bracey Sherman, Jaclyn Friedman and Anita Sarkeesian
- DIY Cybersecurity for Domestic Violence: a resource of privacy + compassion by HACK*BLOSSOM.
- Holistic Security: "a strategy manual to help human rights defenders maintain their well-being in action" by Tactical Tech
- Surveillance Self-Defense: the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s comprehensive surveillance self-defense website.
How does it work?
We’ll ask you a series of questions about your phone and laptop settings and how you currently use these devices. If you’ve completed the step, click “yes” or “done” and move on to the next step. Keep in mind, threats to your digital security are changing quickly and all the time. At the end, we’ll ask you to sign up for updates from Fight for the Future so we can help you stay safe.
