Family & Safety

Technology-facilitated abuse (TFA) is the use of technology to harm another person. The harm to another person can include:

• Hurting someone physically or emotionally,
• Controlling someone, or
• Taking advantage of someone.

Examples of TFA include:

• Using devices such as smartphones or tablets to text message, AirDrop, or monitor someone
• Using apps such as dating or messaging apps
• Using online services such as video calls, voice calls, or online conferencing
• Using online platforms such as social media, email, or websites.

For immediate help, survivors of technology-facilitated abuse can:

• Call 911.
• Call a domestic violence hotline
  • The National Domestic Violence Hotline at (800) 799-7233 or text START to 88788.
  • The Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline at 877-863-6338 (877-TO END DV) or text.
  • Your local domestic violence victim service agency in the directory maintained by the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
• Call Love is Respect's 24-hour hotline at (866) 331-9474 for support and advocacy for teens and young adults. You can also text LOVEIS to 22522 or chat online.
• Contact the Illinois 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988 or use chat.
• Call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at (800) 273-8255 for English, (800) 628-9454 for Spanish, or (800) 799-4889 for Deaf & Hard of Hearing. When the parties in a case present their sides of a case to a judge or other officer You can also text HOME to 741741 (English). You can reach out online by completing a survey to be connected with a counselor.
• Call The Trevor Project at (866) 488-7386 to talk to crisis counselors who understand the challenges the LGBTQIA+ communities face. You can also text START to 678-678 or chat.

For those who live in Chicago, The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence organization has established a fund that can provide flexible cash assistance for eligible survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, When a person commits an act of sexual penetration by force or threat of force. Done without the consent of the victim. This includes when the victim cannot give consent. stalking, When a person follows someone, watches them outside their home or office, or tells them things they observed them doing or human trafficking. Involves the use of force or coercion to make someone participate in forced labor or a commercial sex act, or luring them into participating if they are under 18.  Learn more about their Survivor Fund.

Technology-facilitated abuse can come in many forms, including:

• Image-Based Sexual Abuse (IBSA)
• Cyberflashing
• Cyberstalking
• Cybersex Trafficking
• Sextortion
• Intimate Partner Surveillance (IPS)

Image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) is an abuse that involves the use of sexual images or videos. Examples include:

• Forcing someone to take or send sexual images,
• Threatening to distribute someone’s sexual images,
• Posting someone’s sexual images online without consent, When someone gives permission for someone else to do something or
• Creating “deepfake” sexual images using someone’s face without consent.

Generally, any abuse that involves sexual images or videos is ISBA. Illinois has specifically made it illegal to distribute someone’s sexual images online without consent or create “deepfake” sexual images using someone’s face without consent.

Cyberflashing happens when someone sends you sexual photos or videos that you didn’t ask for or consent When someone gives permission for someone else to do something to. The person sending them could be someone you know or a stranger. For example, it’s cyberflashing when someone sends an unwanted photo of their genitals.

Cyberstalking is the use of technology to stalk or harass someone, which makes the stalking When a person follows someone, watches them outside their home or office, or tells them things they observed them doing survivor fear for the safety of themselves or some else. Examples of cyberstalking include:

• Repeatedly calling the survivor to bother or annoy them,
• Threatening to expose the stalking survivor’s private information,
• Obtaining the stalking survivor’s passwords through fraud, The deception of someone(s) with intent to cause damage (not including  forgeries and counterfeiting). deception, or force,
• Posting things on social media that hurt the survivor’s reputation, or
• Monitoring the stalking survivor’s online activities after being told to stop.

Yes. Even if the State's Attorney's A lawyer who represents the state in a criminal case office does not file charges against the stalker, the stalking survivor can still request protection by applying for a Stalking No Contact Order (SNCO) or an Order of Protection A document from a judge that tells an abuser to stop further domestic abuse, or face penalties if they are a survivor of domestic violence. Harm by one household or family member against another household or family member. Harm may be an emotional, mental, or physical injury Issued by a judge, this tells a person to stop contacting another person. A survivor can ask the judge to stop the stalker from:

• Following or monitoring them,
• Threatening them,
• Talking or writing to them (by cellphone, computer, mail, phone, text, email, instant message, or social media),
• Interfering with or damaging their property,
• Possessing or buying firearms, as well as confiscating the stalker’s Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) card,
• Coming near them in public or on private property, and
• Showing up at their work, home, school, or daycare facility.

Learn more about how to start a case to get a Stalking No Contact Order (SNCO).

Cybersex trafficking is when someone is forced, tricked, or pressured into performing sexual acts on camera, such as through livestreams, video calls, or recorded videos. The people who abuse survivors this way are called traffickers. They often post or sell sexual videos or photos online for money.

Sextortion is the use of sexual images to force someone to comply. Examples of sextortion include:

• Asking for sexual images by offering shelter or drugs, or
• Using someone’s sexual images to pressure them into sending more.

Intimate partner surveillance (IPS) means monitoring, tracking, or spying on an intimate partner without their knowledge or consent. When someone gives permission for someone else to do something Examples of IPS include:

• Using apps or GPS to track location or communications without consent, or
• Doing background checks of the survivor without the survivor’s knowledge or consent.

Doxing is when someone shares another person's private information online without permission. This can include the person's home address, phone number, workplace, email address, or other personal information. People may do this to scare, threaten, harass, or harm someone. 

Illinois law may protect people who have been harmed by doxing. Under the Illinois Civil Liability for Doxing Act, 740 ILCS 195/, doxing is generally defined as publishing someone's personally identifiable information without their consent with the intent to harm them.  The doxing survivor may be able to sue the person who shared their information. They may be able to get money for the harm caused and ask the court for protective orders. The survivor must show that they have experienced significant economic harm or emotional distress, or that they have had a substantial life disruption.

Yes. Emotional or mental abuse is technology-facilitated abuse (TFA) too. TFA can happen without physical harm. Examples include:

• Making a survivor feel unsafe by threatening to expose the survivor’s sexual images online,
• Making a survivor feel shamed by using the survivor’s face to create faked sexual images, or
• Making a survivor feel disturbed by hacking Gaining access to computer software, hardware, or networks without permission. the survivor’s passwords and using the accounts without consent. When someone gives permission for someone else to do something

Yes. Economic abuse is a type of technology-facilitated abuse, even if no physical or emotional harm occurs. Examples of economic abuse include:

• Posting fake information that hurts the survivor’s reputation, making the survivor lose their job,
• Suspending money or allowance unless the survivor provides sexual images,
• Controlling the survivor’s bank account, or
• Threatening to post the survivor’s sexual images online unless they pay money.

Yes. In Illinois, sharing someone’s sexual images without their consent When someone gives permission for someone else to do something is a Class 4 felony A serious crime that is punishable by more than one year in prison when that person can be identified from the images.

Yes. If the abuser is a family or household member of the survivor, the survivor can apply for an Order of Protection. Otherwise, a survivor of sexual abuse that involves physical contact can apply for a Civil No Contact Order. If the abuser did not physically harm the survivor, the survivor can still apply for a Stalking No Contact Order to keep the abuser away.

If someone has access to an abuse survivor’s computer or online accounts, their activity may not be private. Abusers may be able to access a survivor’s computer or accounts with or without their knowledge. This can happen if passwords or devices were shared in the past, or if accounts remain connected across devices.

Using a computer that the other person cannot access, like one at a library, school, or a trusted friend’s home, may help lower their risk. Some websites (particularly domestic violence Harm by one household or family member against another household or family member. Harm may be an emotional, mental, or physical injury resource sites) have “quick exit” buttons that immediately close or redirect the user to a common site such as Google. Others keep another website open so they can leave the page quickly if needed. 

Learn more about computer safety from the Safety Net Project.

An abuse survivor clearing their internet browsing history (including cache, which includes any saved or autofilled information such as login usernames, passwords, addresses) may reduce what someone else can see, but it can also be noticeable if someone regularly checks the device. Private or incognito browsing may stop history from being saved on the device. However, it does not hide the user’s activity from monitoring software or from people or organizations that manage the internet connection, such as an employer or school.

For instructions on clearing browser history and other safety tips, review safety tips from the National Domestic Violence Hotline and the Safety Net Project.

Monitoring software or key loggers are tools that can be used to watch activity on a device. They may:

• Track websites or apps used,
• Record keystrokes, or
• Allow remote access to a device

This type of software can be difficult to detect, and a person may not always know if it is installed. If an abuse survivor is concerned that a device may be monitored, it may be safer to use a different device rather than trying to remove the software.

Email accounts are often used to reset passwords for other online accounts. If someone has access to an abuse survivor’s email, they may be able to:

• Read private messages,
• Reset passwords for other accounts, or
• Set up forwarding without the survivor’s knowledge

Using a safer device to create a new email account or change email settings may reduce risk if monitoring is a concern. This may include updating the password, reviewing account recovery options, checking for email forwarding rules, and looking at which devices or apps are signed into the account.

Learn more about email safety from the Safety Net Project.

People who know the abuse survivor well may be able to guess passwords based on personal information. Using the same password for multiple accounts can also make it easier for someone to access more information if one account is compromised (such as the survivor’s email). Using hard-to-guess passwords, avoiding password reuse, and not saving passwords on shared devices may help reduce risk. If monitoring is a concern, changing passwords from a safer device may be a better option. 

Learn more about increasing password safety from the Safety Net Project.

Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds an extra step when signing in, such as a code sent to a phone or an approval request in an app. This can make accounts more secure, but it may not be safe in every situation. If someone has access to the abuse survivor’s phone, messages, or devices, two-factor authentication could increase risk. It may help to think about where codes are sent and whether turning on this feature is safe in the survivor’s situation.

Learn more about two-factor authentication or multi-factor authentication from the Safety Net Project.

Most social media platforms allow users to control who can see their posts, profile information, and activity. Reviewing privacy settings can help limit who has access to the user’s information and interact with the user (e.g., commenting on posts, direct messaging).

Abuse survivors may want to consider:

• Setting their account to private or the strictest privacy settings, where available;
• Limiting who can see posts or stories;
• Manually approving any mentions, posts, comments, or stories that tag their account;
• Removing or limiting profile details such as their location, workplace, or school;
• Turning off location-sharing and check-ins; or
• Reviewing whether people can find the survivor using their phone number or email address.

Privacy settings are usually found under “Privacy,” “Safety,” or “Account settings” on each platform. To learn more about privacy settings on specific platforms, visit the privacy pages for Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, Snapchat, TikTok, and LinkedIn. Learn more about online privacy settings at the Safety Net Project.

Posts and photos can sometimes reveal more information than intended, including location, routines, or relationships. Other people may also share information about the abuse survivor without realizing it could affect their safety.

The survivor may want to:

• Avoid posting in real time about where they are,
• Ask friends or family not to tag them or share their location,
• Ask others not to post photos of them or their children without permission, or
• Use settings that allow the survivor to review tags before they appear in their profile.

Most social media platforms offer tools that allow users to control who can contact them or interact with their accounts. Depending on the platform, the abuse survivor may be able to:

• See who follows their account and receive updates on new followers,
• Block or restrict specific accounts,
• Limit who can send them messages or comments, or
• If on a mobile app version, restrict or deny To refuse or say no the app’s access to their phone contact list.

Many online accounts, including social media and email accounts like Google accounts, allow users to review recent activity. This can help a survivor understand whether someone else may have access to their account. 

Depending on the platform, a survivor may be able to:

• Review recent logins, including the time, date, and location of access,
• See what devices are currently signed into the account,
• Log out of devices they do not recognize,
• Review connected apps or services and remove ones they do not recognize, or
• Check account security alerts or notifications about new logins or changes.

If a survivor notices activity they do not recognize, it may be safer to avoid making immediate changes on that device. Using a safer device to review or update account settings may help reduce risk.

Technology-facilitated abuse often involves everyday features of social media and physical devices rather than advanced, specific tools. Small changes may increase safety, but changes can also increase risk in some situations.

It may help for an abuse survivor to: 

• Think about what someone could learn from their social media posts, photos, or profile,
• Remember that photos, backgrounds, or comments may reveal location or routines,
• Make changes gradually and only when they feel safe,
• Be cautious about accepting new friend or follow requests from people they do not recognize or know well,
• Check their friends or followers list and remove accounts they may no longer wish to share updates or info with,
• Use a safer device if they are concerned someone may be monitoring their accounts, or
• Learn about basic digital literacy and safety practices, such as not sharing important personal information (e.g., social security numbers, credit card numbers) online or through unsecure communications and stronger password management.

A survivor of technology-facilitated abuse may want to get a lawyer Someone who represents clients in courts or who gives legal advice to help them. A lawyer can help with:

• Helping identify an unknown abuser,
• Assisting with preparing documents, such as filing a petition (noun) A written request to a court (verb) To request from a court for a Stalking When a person follows someone, watches them outside their home or office, or tells them things they observed them doing No Contact Order, Order of Protection, A document from a judge that tells an abuser to stop further domestic abuse, or face penalties or Civil No Contact Order,
• Making sure the survivor does not break the law while collecting evidence Anything used to show that something is true of abuse, or
• Representing the survivor in a hearing When the parties in a case present their sides of a case to a judge or other officer to obtain a protective order.

You can use Get Legal Help to find a free legal aid organization or a private lawyer near you.