Electronic Safety
Technology can be a key tool in helping you find valuble resources, help and support. However, even though it is helpful, technology can also be used to monitor your activities without your consent. Awareness and education are the best methods of avoiding being monitored electronically. Below you will find helpful guides and hints detailing electronic threats and how you can best avoid them when seeking help.
Your History and Private Browsing
When using the internet your Web Browser (Internet Explorer or Firefox) will keep records of the websites that you visit. These records are called the "History". If someone finding these records could put you at risk then it is advised that you erase them using the guide below. Your web browser also most likely features an option to browse the internet privately for the remainder of the session. The guide below includes details on how to use this feature as well. Remember to open a private browsing session each time you visit websites that contain sensitive information or information that could put you at risk in the future.
- Clearing Your Internet History and Private Browsing
The following will teach you how to clear your web browser's history and mask your activities online in the future. Remember that clearing your history will erase all records of your activities online so be careful if this will raise your risk. Be aware that the "Escape" button in our left navigation bar will not clear your history or delete records indicating that you've accessed our site, so make sure you follow the guide below to remove these records. Also remember to follow our "When using the computer" guide above to secure your network as your online activities maybe being monitored by another computer on your home network.
-How to Clear Your History in Internet Explorer
Click the "Tools" button at the top of the page. If the Tools button is not displayed at the top of your page you may have to press the "Alt" key on your keyboard to reveal it. If this does not work then you may access the tools menu using the keyboard by pressing the "Alt" key and the "T" key simultaneously.
Click on the "Delete browsing history..." option. This will open another window containing more options.
Make sure to check all the boxes in this new window. After you've made sure that all boxes are checked you can then click on the "Delete" button labeled with the number 2 in the image above. This will delete all of your web browsers history. Also remember to follow the next guide to open a private browsing session that will hide your records if you plan on accessing other pages on our site.
-How to Browse Privately in Internet Explorer
Click the "Tools" button at the top of the page. If the Tools button is not displayed at the top of your page you may have to press the "Alt" key on your keyboard to reveal it. If this does not work then you may access the tools menu using the keyboard by pressing the "Alt" key and the "T" key simultaneously.
Click the "InPrivate Browsing" option. This will open a new Internet Explorer window as indicated by the next image.
The new, private browsing window is pictured above. Close the previous window and continue using the internet in the window that contains the "InPrivate" icon in the address bar. When using this window to access the internet your browser will no longer record your history, keeping your activities private. If you visit another page with sensitive information in a non-private window then you will need to clear your history again using the previous guide.
-How to Clear Your History in Firefox
Click the "Tools" button at the top of the page. If this does not work then you may access the tools menu using the keyboard by pressing the "Alt" key and the "T" key simultaneously.
Click the "Clear Recent History..." option near the bottom of the menu. This will open another window as pictured in the next image.
Click on the drop-down menu labeled number 1 in the image and select the "Everything" option. Next, make sure you've checked all of the options labeled number 2 in the image. After you've made sure that all options are checked press the delete button labeled number 3 in the image. This will delete all of your web browsers history. Also remember to follow the next guide to open a private browsing session that will hide your records if you plan on accessing other pages on our site.
-How to Browse Privately in Firefox
Click the "Tools" button at the top of the page. If this does not work then you may access the tools menu using the keyboard by pressing the "Alt" key and the "T" key simultaneously.
Click the "Start Private Browsing" option near the bottom of the menu. This will open another window as pictured in the next image.
Click the "Start Private Browsing" button. If this window does not appear on your computer and you instead get the window below then skip this step and continue with the rest of the guide.
The new, private browsing window is pictured above with the "Private Browsing" label in the title of the current tab. When using this window to access the internet your browser will no longer record your history, keeping your activities private. If you visit another page with sensitive information in a non-private window then you will need to clear your history again using the previous guide.