After HopeLine, What Are Survivors’ Options for Free Phones?

As word spreads that Verizon’s HopeLine program, which provided free cell phones to survivors, is ending, many local programs are wondering what options are available.

Probably the best option right now, at least for survivors who are low-income, will be the Lifeline program. Lifeline is managed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and run by individual phone providers. The program offers reduced fee or free phones with data and minutes for eligible low-income individuals. Program materials state that, “To participate in the program, subscribers must either have an income that is at or below 135% of the federal Poverty Guidelines or participate in certain assistance programs.”

As for other programs that collect, refurbish and give out free phones to survivors, be cautious when considering partnering with them. Older phones, often donated directly to shelters or through donation drives, often have old batteries. This means that a phone kept hidden in case a survivor needs to call 911 might not work when it’s needed. Ask how they wipe previous owner’s data from the devices, if they install a new battery, and whether the phone can only be used for 911 calls.

In addition, we know that access to a phone can make a difference for survivor beyond the ability to contact emergency services. A smartphone with data, minutes and messaging, can help survivors to locate housing, services, employment, medical appointments, court dates, and can reduce isolation.

The HopeLine program differed from other programs by giving survivors a new phone. The Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence summarized the success of the program in announcing it was discontinued, “Over the course of HopeLine’s phone donation program, millions of phones were provided to survivors of domestic violence and tens of millions of dollars were committed to support the important work of domestic violence prevention and awareness.” Survivors currently using HopeLine phones will be able to continue using them through December 31, 2018.

To learn more about Lifeline, visit their page: Lifeline

Cambridge Analytica and Why Privacy Matters to Survivors

Recent news that the personal information of tens of millions of people was used by Cambridge Analytica “to create algorithms aimed at ‘breaking’ American democracy” as the New Yorker phrases it, has led to a call to #DeleteFacebook. For those unfamiliar with the story, our friends at AccessNow wrote a great summary.

This kind of invasion of privacy is not new, nor is it limited to this case. The old expression, “No free lunch,” applies to any service that we don’t pay for, whether it is social media or a discount card at the grocery store or entering a raffle to win a new car. The true cost is allowing those companies to access our personal information for their own profit.

Safety is the primary concern. For survivors who face threats of harm, who live daily in fear from the abusers, the security of personal information can be a life and death issue. For survivors fleeing an abuser, information about location, work, kids’ schools, and social connections can lead an abuser to the doorstep. For survivors living with abuse, information about friends, thoughts, feelings, opinions, and interests can be misused by an abuser to control, isolate, or humiliate.

For survivors, privacy is not an abstract issue, or a theoretical right to be debated on CSPAN. Privacy is essential to safety, to dignity, to independence. Yet, we live in a time when personal information = profit.

The Cambridge Analytica story surfaces the underlying reality that our personal information is not under our control. It feels like we are seldom asked for consent to share our personal data. When we are, it is in legalese, in tiny letters that we might have to scroll through to be able to check that box, and get on with using whatever website we’re trying to use. Even if we do take the time to read through those privacy terms, we know that data is routinely stolen, or accidentally published on the Internet, or used against us to affect access to loans, insurance, employment, and services.

We are social animals. We crave connection. Research shows that we suffer without it. Isolation is a classic tactic of abuse. But the price we too often pay for connection online is our privacy.

At times like these, we may think about deleting Facebook, going offline, or throwing away our phones. We may think that survivors should give up their tech at the door of our shelters, or that they have to go off the grid in order to be safe.

Digital exile is not the answer. Technology, and the Internet, is a public space where everyone, including survivors, should have the right, to share their voices, to make connections, and to access information without fear of their personal information being collected and used without their consent. April Glaser writes in Slate that, “[d]eleting Facebook is a privilege,” pointing to the huge number of people that rely on it to connect with friends, to learn about events, to promote a business, or, in parts of the world with limited Internet access, just to be online at all.

Survivors, just like every other consumer, should be given the opportunity to give truly informed consent. That consent must be based on clear, simple, meaningful, understandable privacy policies and practices – not just a check box that no one pays attention to.

A guide to the process of changing your Facebook settings to control apps’ access to your data is available from the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Also check out our own guides to Online Privacy and Facebook Privacy and Safety.

Biometric Information Privacy

In early March, NNEDV was notified by the World Privacy Forum about an effort that is underway in Illinois to strip essential biometric privacy protections. NNEDV and the Illinois Coalition have since been coordinating efforts to oppose this move. The privacy protections being threatened are a model for other states and should be replicated, not undermined. You can learn more about biometric data and about what's happening in Illinois below. 

PROTECT SURVIVOR PRIVACY

In 2008, Illinois passed a landmark bill titled the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act. BIPA, as it is known, was specifically aimed at protecting critical biometric data such as “retina or iris scan, fingerprint, voiceprint, or scan of hand or face geometry.” Several states have followed Illinois’ leadership and passed similar laws, however Illinois still stands alone in not only protecting against the misuse of biometric information, but also providing a private right of action, which allows individuals to personally sue entities such as corporations for failure to inform and obtain consent before collecting, capturing, purchasing, or receiving biometric data.

BIPA is an important law for anyone who is interested in privacy and security, but it is especially important for vulnerable individuals like survivors of domestic violence. Many survivors of domestic violence are forced to flee abusive relationships and to change their identities in order to protect themselves and their children. While a name or social security number can be changed, there is no way for most individuals to change biometric information. It is unique and once compromised cannot be fully protected. For survivors of domestic violence who regularly experience identify theft and who may need to protect their information in order to stay safe, BIPA is an essential tool in helping survivors to make smart decisions about what information to share. BIPA requires entities to inform people about their collection practices, to obtain written consent before collecting, and to have processes to destroy biometric information that has been collected in a reasonable time. These safeguards are essential and can actually save lives.

BIPA is currently under attack. A new bill has been introduced in an attempt to peel back the protections afforded under BIPA in large part to protect companies from lawsuits for failure to comply with BIPA’s important privacy protections. The use of biometric data is increasingly common and we know that it will continue to be an important part of many aspects of commerce, including how companies oversee human resources. While there may be a way to balance the changing needs and practices of companies with essential privacy rights, the current bill to modify BIPA is far from reaching an appropriate balance. While the bill would still protect against the sale of the biometric information, it would otherwise completely gut BIPA exempting nearly every single business in Illinois.

TAKE ACTION

The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) believes that BIPA is an essential law to protect biometric data and is especially important for survivors of domestic violence. If you agree, please contact Senators Bill Cunningham, Chris Nybo, and Napoleon Harris, III and file a witness slip in opposition to the bill. A link to the witness slip can be found here. When filling out the slip, make sure to check Record of Appearance Only, under the section entitled “IV. Testimony.”