Unfortunately, they can also be used by abusive partners to begin, continue, or escalate abuse, making it all the more important to ensure your safety online”.¹

Computers store information about the websites you visit. That means bills you pay and purchases you make are tracked, and messages or emails can be retrieved. You should always consider that a computer might be monitored when you use it and be careful with what you send others or post.

Safe computers can be found at your local library, Internet cafe, shelter, workplace, or computer technology center; avoid using shared computers when researching things like travel plans, housing options, legal issues, and safety plans. Using safe browsing practices (like using a VPN) can help prevent abusive partners from tracking your Internet history”.²

“Email can be a useful way to keep in touch with trusted friends and family members who may be aware of your situation. An abusive partner is likely to know this and may have access to your email account without your knowledge. To be safe, open an account your partner doesn’t know about on a safe computer and use that email for safety planning and sensitive communications”.⁴

“If you’re in an abusive relationship, consider purchasing a pay-as-you-go phone and keep it in a safe place for private calls. Use a password on your phone and update it regularly. If you are concerned that your partner may be secretly monitoring your phone, consider taking it into a cell phone service center to check for any spyware that may be downloaded”.⁵

• Image-based abuse/ non-consensual sharing of intimate images – often called revenge porn or leaked nudes
• Cyberbullying, trolling, and online threats
• Online harassment and sexual harassment
• AI-generated deepfakes such as sexually explicit images, deepfake pornography, and digitally manipulated images, videos or audio
• Hate speech and disinformation on social media platforms
• Doxxing – publishing private information
• Online stalking or surveillance/tracking to monitor someone’s activities
• Online grooming and sexual exploitation
• Catfishing and impersonation
• Misogynistic networks – e.g. manosphere, incel forums.

These acts don’t just happen online. They often lead to offline violence in real life (IRL), such as coercion, physical abuse, and even femicide – killing of women and girls. The harm can be long-lasting and affect survivors over a prolonged period of time.

Digital violence targets women more than men, across all walks of life, but especially those with public or online visibility – such as activists, journalists, women in politics, human rights defenders, and young women”.⁶