Always an Advocate for Tech Safety

By: Cindy Southworth, outgoing NNEDV Executive Vice President and future Women’s Safety Policy Manager at Facebook  

In the late nineties, I helped build and implement a national online library focusing on violence against women and a statewide protection order database. In both roles, I realized that while not much was intimidating to badass victim advocates, many were uncomfortable with technology. Often, survivors seeking help used more technology than their advocates, and sadly, abusers and perpetrators were even more tech-savvy.

In July 2000, the Safety Net Technology Project was born when I presented a national workshop to alert local advocates that abusers might soon begin misusing technology to harm their partners. My colleagues and I covered analog cordless phone security, cassette tape answering machines, and new monitoring software (aka “net nannies”). The clipart was embarrassingly old school, but the response from participants was sobering. The victim advocates shared stories of abusive partners assaulting victims to get them to turn over email passwords and misusing TTY machines to impersonate victims who are Deaf.

Upon hearing that technology was already being misused by controlling and abusive partners, I realized that the movement needed a national initiative addressing all forms of technology and the intersection with violence – and we needed it yesterday. Leaders at the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence were incredibly supportive as I continued my coalition work by day and spent evenings and weekends  searching for the right place for the Safety Net Project to land. In December 2001, I met with Lynn Rosenthal at the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) and described my fledgling project. She had a relationship with the AOL Time Warner Foundation and, after countless weekends writing grant applications and continuing to build the Safety Net Project, AOL confirmed our seed money and I moved to Washington, DC – showing up at the NNEDV offices with six boxes of technology curriculum and research. At the time, NNEDV had only five staff; Team NNEDV has grown to almost 45 employees today.

From 2002 – 2014, NNEDV grew, as did the Safety Net team. By the time I was promoted to Executive Vice President in 2014, the Safety Net team was going strong and led by Erica Olsen and Kaofeng Lee. Today, the team provides an extraordinary amount of broad and intensive consultation, training, and analysis every day. The work has always been led by the stated needs of survivors, their advocates, and NNEDV’s member coalitions. The team covers topics impacting survivors ranging from the Internet of Things (IoT), databases, privacy, stalkerware, cybercrime, encryption, apps, and so much more. Starting in February 2003, the team hosted a Training of Trainers for 10 years, then transitioned to their annual Technology Summit that brings together advocates, tech industry leaders, legal professionals, and practitioners from around the country and world.

The team has also been working closely with Facebook, UN Women, and the Global Network of Women’s Shelters to make sure that survivors anywhere can find vetted helplines, and use a range of secure options, including phone, text, and chat, to reach out for help and support. I look forward to continuing to work on these initiatives in my new role at Facebook.

After 18 years at NNEDV and 20 years since I founded the Safety Net Technology Project, I will be joining Facebook on July 13th as their Women’s Safety Policy Manager.

When I began my work in the movement, I worked to end sexual and domestic violence at local programs, universities, and coalitions in Pennsylvania and Maine. I was the one who set up the first fax machine, then configured email for all of the advocates. I brought my desktop computer into my graduate school class and passed around the memory component to demystify technology back in 1996.

Founding the Safety Net Technology Project 20 years ago, and working at NNEDV for 18 years have provided me with the opportunity to form alliances, reach underserved communities, promote innovation, expand public awareness, inform private sector solutions, and expand federal funding for countless survivors across the nation. This work has meant the world to me, and in my new role at Facebook, I will continue to be an advocate working to create a world free from violence (online and offline) and I look forward to harnessing the reach of Facebook to have an even greater impact.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to Erica Olsen, the Safety Net Director, and her phenomenal colleagues on the Safety Net team: Toby, Corbin, Shalini, Audace, Rachel, and Elaina, since they have had it all handled for many years. I know I can’t want wait to reach out to them in my new role. (I think we have a video call scheduled for July 13, right?)

The Team has been providing an incredible amount of support to the field during the pandemic. In March 2020 alone, the Safety Net Team presented 14 webinars to the field, training more than 5,000 advocates, and created 12 pandemic-specific tip sheets and other resources. I couldn’t be prouder of the work of a project I founded 20 years ago this summer.

I look forward to continuing to work with all of you – just in a different role.

For peace and safety,
Cindy

Addressing the Intersections of Racism, Privacy, and Technology

As an organization, NNEDV rejects all violence, is angered by and grieves the anti-Black racism that is running rampant in this country, and joins in calling for justice and reform.  NNEDV mourns the senseless loss of life, as we have too many times before: Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Atatiana Jefferson, Tony McDade, David McAtee, and many, many others whose names we want to remember and honor. There is much work to be done, including reflecting on our own privileges and taking steps to dismantle the long-standing systems that were built from a culture of white supremacy and continue to allow racist policies to exist today. NNEDV’s commitment extends to our work across all of our projects and teams.

 The Safety Net Project focuses on the intersection of technology and abuse, privacy, and civil rights. As advocates and as humans, we unite in opposition to injustices and oppressions, many of which we are witnessing online and in our streets. We reject the misuse of power, the abuse of trust, and the violation of rights in all their forms.

We believe that everyone deserves safety, privacy, and the ability to live their lives free of violence. We see what is happening - the anti-Black, anti-Native American, anti-Semitic, anti-Asian, anti-LGBTQIA, and anti-immigrant violence and hate, as well as continued ableism in our society – and we will not ignore it or be silent in the face of it.

We are concerned about our movement’s historic dependence on a criminal justice system that many do not feel safe accessing, and the challenges that poses to finding recourse and accountability when technology is misused as a tactic of abuse.

We are concerned about inappropriately deployed technologies meant to monitor or track individuals as part of the public health response to COVID-19 and the harm that can be caused to communities already experiencing disproportionate health and economic hardships due to the virus.

We are concerned with the real-life safety issues that stem from online hate and misinformation that provokes violence.

We are concerned about the disproportionate impact on communities of color and people with disabilities when technology and data collection systems are designed and implemented from predominately white and privileged spaces and the unintended consequences that can arise. Specifically, the widespread practice of including personal and private information in public data can lead to discrimination in housing, employment, education, and access to financial resources, even for those who lack access to the tools of technology in their daily lives.

We are concerned that individual and collective access to resources, including technology, is not equal; a deep digital divide remains and specifically impacts Black, Native American, poor, aging, and rural communities. Lack of access to technology in our society increasingly means lack of access to employment, education, housing, social services, and public life.

We are concerned about the use of technologies and platforms without consideration for privacy, safety, and the deep impacts of trauma and recognize how that disproportionately impacts some communities more than others.

These issues are not new. Systemic racism is centuries deep and it will take significant effort, reflection, and resolve to address these issues.

We will continue to focus our efforts on acknowledging and dismantling the ways in which white supremacy permeates our society and our technology, and the many ways that it impacts people every day. We will strengthen our work based on our understanding of these intersections and their impact. We will continue to educate communities and professionals about all the ways technology can be misused, and to advocate for the power of technology to be harnessed for good. We will address hate, unite in solidarity, and work for an equitable world.

Newly Created and Updated Resources

Greetings colleagues,

We know that as you and your communities continue to serve survivors during this COVID-19 crisis, that it is important that you have the most up-to-date resources and materials to better assist the survivors you work with. Although these resources are not all COVID-19 specific, they all provide guidance and best practices that will hopefully be helpful at any time.

Choosing Digital Service Platform Step-by-Step Guide

Available in English and Spanish:
As programs continue to manage navigating the shift from face-to-face advocacy to tele-advocacy, online, or mobile advocacy, it may be difficult to figure out how and where to start the process of choosing and setting up digital services. Before going through this step-by-step plan, please read our Using Technology to Communicate with Survivors During a Public Health Crisis Post.

Working Remotely: Tips for Setting Up Phones

Available in English and Spanish:
Whether advocates are asked to temporarily work from home or they work remotely as part of their regular schedule, being able to securely receive and send calls, text messages, and chats is critical. This guide answers common questions around setting up phones when working remotely.

FAQs for Victim Service Programs About HIPAA Privacy, HIPAA Security, and Technology

Available in English (in Spanish soon):
Designed to help local programs understand the nuances of HIPAA Privacy, HIPAA Security, and what the term “HIPAA-compliant” may (or may not) mean when used by technology vendors to market their product. The also explores how such products may or may not provide appropriate privacy protections to help comply with VAWA confidentiality obligations.

Website Safety & Privacy

Recently Updated and Available in English and Spanish:

Visiting a website can leave a digital trail and, for survivors, can create safety and privacy risks. While it may not be possible to completely eliminate risks, through web design and by including content on safety and privacy, you can increase survivors’ awareness and provide options. This revised resource includes tips to help minimize the safety and privacy risks on your program’s website.

How to Talk with Survivors About Safe Methods of Contact & corresponding Safe Contact Intake Form

Available in English and Spanish:
The ways that a survivor wants to communicate with your program should match their needs. A program should never contact a survivor in a way that the survivor has not specifically indicated is safe and private. These resources can help advocates identify safe ways to contact survivors.

Online Support Groups: Best Practices

Available in English and Spanish:
Online support groups can be a valuable way to for survivors to connect with support and other survivors when they are not able to meet in person. There are a wide variety of technology options to connect survivors using technology, including online forums where survivors can read and post messages at any time, and real-time online group web chats or video calls.

Client Information Databases & Confidentiality: A Comprehensive Guide for Service Providers

Available in English (in Spanish soon):
This is both an overview of key data and confidentiality concepts, and a guide to the many considerations that must be weighed when selecting a database, which include: purpose, confidentiality, data security, and program capacity (including costs, technology and staffing). This is intended primarily for community-based victim service programs that are legally obligated under VAWA, FVPSA, and VOCA to maintain confidentiality.

Tips for Using Video Hosting and Sharing Sites

Available in English:

With more people being home due to social distancing, watching videos on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, and more means that we are able to access fun as well as informational content like never before. While video content on these platforms can open doors to new information and resources, survivors of violence who watch should be aware of the related risks that come with watching videos in these spaces. This handout can help survivors think through how they use video hosting sites and strategies for managing risks.

Using Zoom: Safety, Privacy and Confidentiality Considerations

Available in English (in Spanish soon):

With physical distancing measures in place, many organizations and individuals have turned to video conferencing as a way to connect. Zoom has been one of the most asked-about tools. As is the case with any tool, there are going to be benefits and risks for survivor safety and privacy, accessibility, and organizations’ confidentiality obligations. This guide is to help programs understand Zoom and ways to utilize the safety and privacy features Zoom has to offer to help maintain confidentiality.

We are always working to keep our materials relevant and updated. If you have any questions about our materials or resources, please reach out to us at safetynet@nnedv.org.

In peace and tech safety.