​How can I hide my visits to websites?

You may be worried that someone could find out you have visited domestic abuse web pages, if so, please read the below as it explains the steps you can take to increase your safety when using the internet.

It is important to note that the safest way to search for information on the internet is to do it away from home.  This could be at a local library, a trusted friend's house or your place of work.

It is possible that someone can find out which websites you have visited simply by looking at your computer's history or cache file, which automatically saves web pages and graphics.  However you can prevent this from happening by clearing your history and emptying your cache file.  The following information will explain how to do this.

Mobile Phones/Tablets May be different to the settings listed below.

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Internet Explorer 6:
Click on the Tools menu and select Internet Options.
On the General page, under Temporary Internet Files, click on Delete Cookies and then OK.
Click on Delete Files, put a tick in the box labeled Delete all offline content and click OK.
Under History, click on Clear History and then OK.
Now look at the top of the window and click on the Content tab, select AutoComplete and finally, Clear Forms.

Internet Explorer 7:
Click on the Tools menu and select Internet Options.
In the General page under Browser History, select the Delete button.
Now either select and delete each section listed, choosing from : Temporary internet files; Cookies, History; Forms data and Passwords; or select the Delete all button at the bottom to clear everything.

Internet Explorer 8:
For users of Internet Explorer 8 or Windows 7, details can be found on the Microsoft website at :

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/Windows7/Delete-webpage-history
 
Internet Explorer 9
For users of Internet Explorer 9 or Windows 7, details can be found on the Microsoft website at:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows7/How-to-delete-your-browsing-history-in-Internet-Explorer

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Firefox
For users of Mozilla Firefox details can be found at:
http://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/remove-recent-browsing-search-and-download-history#os=win7&browser=fx1

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Netscape 7:
Click on the Edit menu and select Preferences. 
In the left pane, expand History then in the right area click Clear History. 
Next, expand Privacy and Security and select Cookies then on the button Manage Stored Cookies and in the new dialog box click Remove All Cookies. 
Then repeat similar for Forms and the Manage Stored Form Data button and the same for Passwords and the Manage Stored Passwords button. 
Aditionally, you may Manage Forms, Cookies and Passwords individually from the Tools menu - but not the temporary page Cache files.
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Opera:
Click on Tools and then Preferences.
Click on the Advanced tab and then the History section on the left-hand side.
Click the Clear button to the right of Addresses and the Empty Now button to the right of Disk cache.  Opera does not have an easy way to clear all Cookies.

More info can be found at:
http://www.opera.com/browser/tutorials/security/sharing/
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Google Chrome:
Click the tool wrench icon in the upper-right corner of the toolbar and from the dropdown menu select “Clear Browsing Data”.
Use the checkboxes to select the data you wish to clear. By using the “Clear data from this period” option you can specify the period for which you want the data cleared.
Finally click the “Clear Browsing Data” button.

More information can be found at:
http://support.google.com/chrome/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=95537
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Safari (often used on Apple Macs):
Resetting Safari clears the history, empties the cache, clears the Downloads
window, and removes all cookies. It also removes any saved user names and
passwords or other AutoFill data and clears Google/Yahoo search entries.

To do this go to the Safari menu at top left hand screen. Choose Reset Safari, and click Reset.


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How Can I Prevent My Abuser Accessing My Emails?

Your abuser may have access to your email account and if so, they will be able to view your incoming and outgoing mail.  To make sure your account is secure and prevent your abuser viewing your emails, set up an email account with a password that your abuser will not be able to guess.

 If your abuser knows your email address and sends you threatening or harassing email messages, please do not simply delete them, they can be printed and saved as evidence of abuse.