WMC Speech Project

Tools and Resources

Topics

Emergency Situations

Guides

Organizations

Emergency Situations

If the online harassment you are experiencing has escalated to immediate threats of harm against you, your coworkers, your friends, or your family, we recommend that you contact local authorities as soon as possible. The most appropriate place to start is with your local law enforcement agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Most social media platforms have reporting functions, (there is no centralized way to report harassment that spans platforms), but response times are rarely fast enough to address immediate threats or concerns.

Immediate Help

Coalition Against Online Violence Response Hub: a resource center where women journalists can come to find the latest information on online abuse and harassment. Led by IWMF and ICFJ with Coalition partners, including the Women's Media Center.

AccessNow

Crash Override Network provides crisis support and assistance to the targets of online harassment. They also engage in community outreach and education.

Right to be from Hollaback, has resources you can use to begin healing, build resilience, and step into your power.

Trollbusters is a global, collaborative campaign project dedicated to helping journalists that are under attack.

iCanHelpLine is a social media helpline for schools.

Vita-Activa provides online support and strategic solutions for women and LGBTIQ+ journalists, activists and gender, land and labor rights, and freedom of expression defenders. In English and Spanish.

Guides

These guides, which vary in scope, have been written by experts in security, digital privacy and gender-based violence. They are informed directly by the experiences of people who have themselves been the targets of online harassment and abuse.

As a basic security practice you should always use two-factor authentication, review your online profile regularly and set your browser preferences to “do not track.”Smart Privacy’s Privacy Test is a great way to start.

PEN America's Field Manual Against Online Harassment

PEN America's Field Manual Against Online Harassment: Legal Resources

Games and Online Harassment Digital Safety Guide: The original version of this document, Speak Up and Stay Safe(r): A Guide to Protecting Yourself from Online Harassment, was created by Jaclyn Friedman, Anita Sarkeesian, and Renee Bracey Sherman. It was been updated in 2023 and is now maintained by Games and Online Harassment Hotline in partnership with Tall Poppy.

Online Harassment, Digital Abuse, and Cyberstalking in America by Amanda Lenhart, Michele Ybarra, Kathryn Zickuhr and Myesia Price-Feeney. Published by Data and Society

A Feminist’s Guide to Digital Security from Community Red

Violet Blue: How to Remove Yourself from People Databases

What is doxxing (with examples) and how do you avoid it from comparitech

So You’ve Been Doxed: A Guide to Best Practices from Crash Override

Securing Online and Offline Freedoms for Women: Expression, Privacy and Digital Inclusion Manual from Tactical Tech

Digital Hygiene Course from Trollbusters

Do It Yourself Online Safety Guide from Chayn

Organizations

Coalition Against Online Violence is a collection of global organizations, including the Women's Media Center, working to find better solutions for women journalists facing online abuse, harassment and other forms of digital attack.

Cyber Civil Rights Initiative is a clearinghouse for information about non-consensual photography/pornography. CCRI supports victims and victim advocates, referring pro or low bono services to help them regain control of their search results and lives, and supports the passage of updated legislation.

Digital Rights Foundation, based in Pakistan, aims to strengthen protections for human rights defenders (HRDs), with a focus on women’s rights, in digital spaces through policy advocacy & digital security awareness-raising.

National Network to End Domestic Violence and SafetyNet Project: NNEDV’s Safety Net Project focuses on the intersection of technology and intimate partner abuse and works to address how it impacts the safety, privacy, accessibility, and civil rights of victims.

Online Abuse Prevention Initiative studies and analyses abuse patterns, creates anti-harassment tools and resources, collaborates with key tech companies seeking to better support their communities

Tactical Technology Collective provides information and supports a innovative digital technologies created by advocates and activists worldwide.

Take Back the Tech is a global, collaborative campaign project that works to take control of technology to end violence against women.


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