FACEBOOK TO SAFETY
RANA ALEXANDER
BATTERED WOMEN’S LEGAL ADVOCACY
PROJECT
A QUICK OPENING NOTE…
 Will
not cover everything
 Security settings are constantly
changing

This information could become out of date
very quickly
 Will
get you thinking about Facebook
Risks and benefits for youth and victims
 Importance of safety planning around
technology

A FEW FACTS ABOUT FACEBOOK
•
Facebook has over 1.6 BILLION monthly active users
•
More than 70% of those who have Internet access have
Facebook accounts
•
More than 50% of users log into Facebook on any given
day
•
The average Facebook user has 130 friends.
•
More then 25% of Facebook users are under 10
•
59% of teens view social networks as unsafe
•
24% of Americans aren’t confident in their ability to use
privacy settings
•
25% of Facebook users have their account set to public
FACEBOOK IS VERY USEFUL
•
Connecting and chatting with friends and
relatives
•
Making new friends
•
Sharing pictures, videos, etc.
•
Getting news and information
•
Finding help and resources
•
It’s FUN
A FEW FACTS ABOUT TEEN
DATING VIOLENCE
1 in 4 dating teens is abused or harassed online or
through texts by their partners
 Victims of digital abuse and harassment are:

2 times as likely to be physically abused
 2.5 times as likely to be psychologically abused
 5 times as likely to be sexually coerced

8.7% of teens in relationships reported their partner
used his/her social networking account without
permission
 5.1% of teens in relationships reported their partner
wrote nasty things about him/her on his/her profile
page

FACEBOOK CAN ALSO POSE A
SAFETY RISK
• Track activities, friends,
relationships, etc.
• Find out current location
• Use to harass and/or threaten
• Security settings are constantly
changing
TRUST YOUR CLIENT’S INSTINCTS
If the person you are working with
suspects her abuser knows too
much, it’s possible that her abuser
has access to her Facebook account.
IMPORTANT SAFETY CONCERNS
When information is posted anywhere on
the Internet, whether or not it is "locked" to
friends-only or certain users are blocked, it
is not 100% private.
IMPORTANT SAFETY CONCERNS
Includes MySpace, Twitter, Tumblr, Google+
or any other social networking site.
Some sites/applications request (seem to
require) you link your account to your
Facebook account.
Some websites and many online
newspapers, require the use your Facebook
account to comment.
A FEW QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN
SAFETY PLANNING
•
Do you use Facebook?
•
Is your Facebook account friends-only, or is it
publicly accessible by anyone?
•
If your account is friends-only, is the abuser one
of your friends? What about friends or family
members of his?
•
Is your Facebook password something your
abuser couldn't possibly guess?
•
Does your email end up in a shared email client?
CHOOSING A SAFER PASSWORD
Virtually impossible for others to guess
•
Passwords should not be:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Her name
Nickname or initials
Her address or phone number
Names of children or pets
Birth dates
Anything else that would be easy for someone else to guess.
•
The best passwords are random number/letter
combinations. For example: jl56rmqm34.
•
Or use a memorable phrase with spaces, numbers
and punctuation. Ex: “St0p spy1ng On m3!”
CHOOSING A SAFER PASSWORD
If she changes her password, Facebook
will send her an email confirming the
password change.
May be a safety concern if email is being
monitoring (although the new password
will not be in that email).
MAKING A FACEBOOK ACCOUNT
SAFER
Users can (somewhat) choose what they
want to share
Status
updates and pictures
friends-only
Birthday
Public
and contact information
MAKING A FACEBOOK ACCOUNT
SAFER
•
Choose your default privacy: friends vs.
custom
•
Personal information
•
How you connect
•
How tags work
•
Creating posting filters
MAKING A FACEBOOK ACCOUNT
SAFER
•
Apps, games and web sites: public
search
•
Limit the audience for past posts
•
Blocked people and apps
•
Selecting what to share on the profile
•
Checking in to locations
•
Be careful about what you “like”
OPTIONS FOR LIMITING AN
ABUSER’S ACCESS
•
Un/De-friend
•
Block
•
Restricted list
•
Use other lists
•
Safety First!
CHECKING WHAT OTHERS CAN
SEE ON A FACEBOOK ACCOUNT
View
your Facebook account as
someone else
Allows
you to see if any security
features (such as blocking) worked
OTHER PEOPLE’S FACEBOOK
ACCOUNTS AND TAGGING
•
If you post to someone else’s account
you don’t have much control over
your own privacy.
•
Tagging on posts and pictures.
•
Setting up account to notify when
tagged.
ABUSER LEAVES
HARASSING/THREATENING
MESSAGES
•
Report the message to Facebook
•
Get your friends to report the post to
Facebook
•
Report the message to the police
•
Seek a protective order
•
Don’t forget to ask for relief that relates to the
Facebook postings
ABUSER LEAVES
HARASSING/THREATENING
MESSAGES
•
Take screenshots of any harassing
messages/posts. These may be able to be used
later as evidence.
•
How to take Windows or Mac screenshots:
(a)Windows: Press Ctrl (control) + PrtScn (print
screen) then paste into Paint, Word, or any
photo/image editing software.
(b)Mac: Press Command+Shift+3. This will save a
.png image file on the computer's desktop.
DO YOU HAVE FURTHER QUESTIONS
ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND SURVIVORS?

Rana Alexander at the Battered Women’s Legal
Advocacy Project: (612) 343-9844 or e-mail at
rana@bwlap.org.

Or call the National Network on Domestic
Violence’s Safety Net Team at (202) 543-5566,
ext 22.