Escape to Google

Protect Yourself

It is important to be aware of potential tech safety issues. Visit TechSafetyApp.org to learn more about phone safety, device safety, online harassment, and location safety. 

The best way to protect yourself when looking for resources online is to use a computer your abuser cannot access!

Access a computer at a friend's house or at the library. Use any computer your abuser cannot access.

Web Safety Guidelines
If you bookmark this or any other site about domestic violence, the fact that you've been seeking information or help may be discovered by someone you prefer didn't know. So as a safeguard, you may either want to 1) access this site from somewhere other than home; or 2) clear all cache, cookies and history files from your web browser. 

See the helpful information below and follow the instructions for eliminating traces of your visit to this website.

What are cookies and cache?
Temporary Internet files, or cache, contain a "travel record" of the items you have seen, heard, or downloaded from the web, including images, sounds, web pages, even cookies. Cookies are cryptic bookmarks that a website can place on your computer to acknowledge your prior visit, authenticate your access or let you continue surfing a site from where you last left off. They can leave a trail of evidence of where you have been on the web. So if you visit a website on domestic violence and a cookie is created, others can trace your trail and discover where you've been. 

Firefox Instructions
Open Firefox. Click on the library button (looks like a stack of books with one slanted over). Click "history". Then click "clear recent history". Select how much history you want to clear by clicking the drop-down menu next to "time range to clear". Use the check boxes to select what information you want to clear from your history. Click the "OK" button. The window will close and the items you've selected will be cleared from your history. 

Microsoft Edge Instructions
Open Microsoft Edge and select "settings and more". Then select "settings" (looks like an image of a gear). Then click "privacy, search, and services". Under "clear browsing data", select "chose what to clear". Under "time range", choose a time range. Select "cookies and other site data". Finally click "clear now".

Google Chrome Instructions
Open Chrome. At the top click "more" (three vertical dots in the upper right corner). Click "more tools". Click "clear browsing data". At the top, choose a time range. To delete everything, select "all time". Be sure all the check boxes are selected. Then click "clear data". 

Safari Instructions
To clear your browsing history and cookies, go to "settings". Click on "Safari". Scroll down and click "clear history and website data". To visit sites without leaving a history, turn on private browsing.