Protection measures

Giving Out Fake Information

You should only give out personal information when absolutely necessary. If it is not absolutely necessary for you to give out your real name, address, phone number, or any other information, then it is completely OK to give people false information. WARNING: In many cases, it is illegal to give out false/fake information about yourself. Make sure you know the law in your place of residence.

Unless it is a necessity, don’t make accounts for websites. If you need an account, use fake details. You can even make fake email addresses for a one-time use at sites like sharklasers and 10minutemail. See http://www.fakenamegenerator.com for lots of really fake but believable personal data.

How Do I Know If My Data Has Been Leaked?

Irrespective of whether privacy guidelines exist and are adhered to, many organisations fail to implement best practice security controls.

For the user, it doesn't matter whether the organisation is malicious or incompetent.

Most private companies do not follow strict guidelines to ensure their customer’s private data is not leaked or shared with other companies.

Check out Have I been powned? to see if your email or username has ever been compromised in a major data breach. Your only course of defense is to use strong, unique passwords and two-factor authentication (see References) for all of your important accounts.

For more see Living Under the Radar in a Digital World

If your harasser is in a position of power

Police

Some countries have independent police complaints commissions move out to another area, so you can approach police officers who are not in the immediate circle of your abusersdon’t go alone when filing a complaint - look for trained support available when filing charges or interacting with the police.

Army

Members of the army get a lot of respect so any of your words will be weighed against theirs.

Secret service

If your harasser is in the secret service, works in intelligence or a three letter agency (i.e. NSA, FBI in the US, GCHQ in the UK, or your country’s equivalent), try locate an NGO in your country with legal and technical knowledge to assist you. Remember, your phone can be tracked by location, voice and people you know.

Politician

Politicians have access to network and support of the institutions above so if you believe your harasser to be influential, consider moving out of the country.

If your harasser is in a position of power, it will add credibility to whatever they might say about you and to his denials of abuse. However, if you gather enough evidence, you might be able to fight them.

Use the How to build your domestic violence case without a lawyer guide for more information how to collect and present evidence.