Staying safe online

If you are worried that someone may check what you look at online, these steps can help. No method is completely safe, so if you can, use a device the abuser cannot access, such as a friend’s phone or a library computer.

Leave this website quickly

Press the Quick exit button at the top of every page, or press the Esc key twice. This takes you straight to the BBC weather page and removes the page you were on from your browser’s Back button. Other pages from this site you looked at earlier will still be in your history, so it is still worth clearing your history (see below).

Use private browsing

A private or incognito window does not keep your history after you close it. In most browsers you can open one from the menu, or with Ctrl + Shift + N (Ctrl + Shift + P in Firefox).

Clear your history carefully

You can delete individual pages from your browser history rather than everything. Clearing all of your history might itself raise suspicion.

This website does not track you

This site does not use cookies, advertising, or analytics, and it does not load anything from social media sites. The map and social media links only take you to those sites if you choose to open them.

Phones, apps and accounts

• Check which devices are signed in to your email, Google, Apple or Facebook accounts, and change passwords on a safe device.
• Check location sharing (for example Find My, Google Maps or Snapchat) and any apps you don’t recognise.
• Be aware that smart speakers, doorbells and cameras in the home may record you.

Refuge has detailed guides on technology and safety: refugetechsafety.org. Women's Aid also has advice on covering your tracks online.