Cover your tracks

Cover Your Tracks

Plan for Your Safety

If you are thinking of leaving an abusive relationship, this can be a difficult time. There is a greater risk of violence when an intimate relationship is ending. You can get support and plan for you and your children’s safety.

Cover your Internet tracks. If you have surfed this and/or other websites you will have left a trail that allows others to see which websites you have visited.

Following these steps should clear your browser's history and cache files; however, this does not guarantee that information will not be left on your browser. Please exercise caution with any device that can track your online activities -- this includes your phone.

We recommend browsing the internet in private mode where possible. For example, both Safari and Google Chrome offer private browsing modes. On Google Chrome you can select to browse the Internet using the New Incognito Window that will NOT save your history, downloads, and cookies. The incognito window will open a new window for you to safely browse any website. To access the New Incognito Window mode, click on the three dots on the right-hand corner of your browser and select New Incognito Window from the list that appears. When you are done browsing, simply close the window. On Safari, click on the File button that appears at the top of the menu and select New Private Window. You can now browse the internet without having your searches documented on your device. When you're done, simply close the window. Similar private browsing modes exist on your smartphone.

Clearing History and Cache Files

Google Chrome

1. Tap on the three small dots at the top right corner of your browser.
2. From the list that appears select History. At this point you can click and delete individual websites that appear in your search history. You also have the option to select Clear Browsing Data on the left hand side to remove your browsing history over a specific frame of time.
3. After selecting Clear Browsing Data, you will be given a Basic and Advanced option. You can click on the Basic tab, choose the “Last Hour” time range and place a check mark next to all three boxes (Browsing History, Cookies and other site data, and Cached images and files). We recommend avoiding clearing all history as this may appear suspicious. Ideally you want to delete your browsing data from the past hour or day to cover your recent tracks.
4. Click on Clear Data and close the window.

Internet Explorer

1. Tap on the Tools icon in the menu section, at the top right hand corner of the browser.
2. Click on Internet Options.
3. In the General tab under Internet Options, click on Delete… in the Browsing History section. You will be directed to a new tab.
4. Under the Delete Browsing History tab, click on History. This will clear the pages you've recently visited. You will also have the option of clearing Temporary Internet files and website files and Cookies and website data. We recommend selecting all three boxes.
5. Select the Delete button at the very end for changes to take effect. Press the OK button as a last step to close the Internet Options box.

Safari

1. From the Safari menu at the top of the computer, click Clear History.
2. You will be prompted to choose between The Last Hour, Today, Today & Yesterday, or All History. Again, we recommend avoiding clearing all history as this may appear suspicious. Ideally you want to delete your browsing data from the past hour or day to cover your recent tracks.
3. Click Clear History after selecting the type of history you’d like to delete. At this point, you are done.

Firefox

Clear your entire browsing history:
1. Go to the History panel on your home screen.
2. Tap on Clear browsing history at the bottom of the History panel.
3. Tap OK to confirm.

Clear specific items from your browser:
1. Tap the menu button (either below the screen on some devices or at the top-right corner of the browser) and select Settings (you may need to tap More first).
2. Tap Clear private data.
3. Put a check mark next to the items you want to clear and then tap Clear data.

Cover your email tracks

1. Be sure to delete any outgoing and incoming emails.
2. Change your email password often (at least once a month).
3. Print all threatening and harassing emails to use as evidence of criminal activity.

Don’t forget popular messaging apps

1. Many users utilize SMS/text and popular messaging Apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, Viber and so forth.
2. When sharing sensitive material through text or messages, please remember that if your phone can be accessed, these messages can be seen. Be sure to delete sensitive content as soon as possible. Do not leave any information lingering on your phone.
3. When possible, do not share your phone’s security password with others.

More information

Please visit TechSafety for more information and resources about net safety.