Cybersecurity & Violence Against Women

In addition to being Domestic Violence Awareness Month, this month is also Cybersecurity Awareness Month. When we think about cybersecurity, we often think of security from identity theft, fraud, phishing, or hackers who steal passwords and information. But cyber – or online – security has a broader meaning for victims of domestic and sexual violence and stalking. Cybersecurity also means personal safety – safety from harm, harassment, and abuse while online.

For many survivors, being online can feel unsafe because the abuser or stalker is accessing their online accounts to monitor their activities; posting harmful and negative things about them, including sexually explicit images and personally identifying information; or using cyberspace to harass and make violent threats under the cover of “anonymity.” Abusers and stalkers often compromise the security of survivors’ technologies by installing monitoring software on cell phones or computers or forcing them to reveal passwords to online accounts.

In a study conducted by the National Network to End Domestic Violence, victim service providers report that of the survivors they work with 75% have abusers who access their online accounts, 65% have abusers who monitor their online activities, and 68% have had their pictures posted online by the abuser without their consent. In a survey by the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative, when abusers and stalkers distribute sexually explicit images of victims, 59% includes the full name of the victim, 49% include social media information, and 20% include the phone numbers of the victim. Online harassment, in the context of abuse and stalking, can have serious and dangerous consequences.

So this month, as Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Cybersecurity Awareness Month coincides, let’s think about cybersecurity and safety beyond safely making an online purchase but how we can create an environment where all can be personally safe from violence while online. How do we create a safe online space that doesn’t tolerate abuse? How do we support those who are victimized online, whether their ex is making threats via social networks, or someone is distributing sexually explicit images of them online, or they’re being threatened by a group of strangers online simply because they have an opinion about gender and dare to be in a male-dominated space? And how do we hold accountable those who are threatening, abusing, and harassing victims online?

This month—and all months—help us figure out the answers to these important questions. Comment below if you have thoughts or ideas. 

New Resources Help Programs Choose the Right Database

Victim service providers across the country are grappling with the same challenge – what kind of database will allow them to properly track records without compromising the privacy of survivors?

There isn’t a simple answer for this question. Choosing and implementing a safe and secure database is a complex process. Fortunately, we have created a series of resources to help programs choose and maintain a database that upholds confidentiality to the extent required by law and best practice.

The Safety Net Team and Confidentiality Institute have gathered information from many database companies that is specifically pertinent to privacy for domestic and sexual violence programs.  Standard questionnaires have been completed by the companies to allow programs to compare the database products side-by-side, and each company participated in a recorded webinar presentation that dives deeper into their policies and processes for securing data.

In addition, some new resources have been developed to help programs narrow down what they are looking for. The handout, “5 Characteristics of a Secure & Victim-Centered Database” explores the key elements to selecting a database that takes into account survivors’ privacy needs and the confidentiality obligations of programs.

You can access these resources by visiting Safety Net’s Selecting a Database section of our Agency’s Use of Technology Best Practices & Policies Toolkit.

For more information on confidentiality obligations, including various templates to use within partnerships, also visit www.nnedv.org/tools. 

Technology Summit 2014 Starts Today!

Today is the first day of our 2014 Technology Summit in beautiful San Jose, CA. We are so excited to welcome advocates, law enforcement, and attorneys from all over the country, Guam, Canada, and Australia! The morning opened with remarks from NNEDV president and CEO Kim Gandy and Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez, and the day will continue with presentations on what service providers need to know when abusers misuse technology to abuse, stalk, and harass.

In our 15 years of working on this issue, the most important thing that we’ve learned is how critical it is for everyone to work together and be a part of this conversation. The collective knowledge, skills, and expertise of everyone are needed to address the multifaceted needs of survivors and move forward towards an end to violence.

We are so thrilled to have so many people dedicated to supporting victims of domestic and sexual violence and stalking join us. To all our attendees, and all the advocates and service providers working to help victims, thank you for what you do every day. You never know how many lives you’ve changed in your work. The work you do not only changes the lives of women and men you serve, but their children’s lives and their children’s lives. Thank you for getting up every day and doing this important work.

We are looking forward to 3 more days of expert trainings and information from all 27 of our amazingly brilliant presenters. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, #techsummit14, to follow the conversation.