We take safety and security very seriously on the Hub – not only for those that are featured in media on the Hub, but also for Hub members and people using the site. 

First, you should know:

• you are never totally anonymous or 'safe' online - but you can take measures to protect yourself and others
• once content is online, it will be indexed, and sometime copied elsewhere on the web, most likely forever
• you must be proactive to protect yourself and your data

If you are concerned about your safety and security, here are some tips we strongly recommend you follow: 

1)  Try to be anonymous online
Always choose a username that does not link to your other online identities or to your real name, location, place of work or phone number - and do not provide your real name, location, contact information, date of birth, phone number, place of work or any other personally identifiable information, including names of relatives.

2) Create a Hub-only email account
Make sure you create a separate email account that is for your Hub activity, and choose from some of these more privacy-focused email providers from Front Line Defenders. 

3)  Choose a strong password
And never give anyone else access to your Hub account or password.

4)  Use https on the web
Look in the address bar of this or other websites or email services. In the website’s address, type in the letter “s” after “http” – this can help to make your connection to the website more secure, but may not work for all websites or email services.

5)  Use software designed to mitigate your risk online
A piece of software called a proxy server, such as TOR, can protect your identity by concealing your computer’s location.  You can install this in your browser (e.g. in Mozilla Firefox), or on your computer.

6)  Using a public computer?  Use it wisely...
When using a computer in a public location, you should be aware that - unless you specifically
make sure that it doesn’t - the computer may retain personal information such as your email password, personal details you typed into a registration form, or even financial data such as your credit card number. In some places, internet use is routinely monitored, and some Internet cafes and libraries are required to film their premises with surveillance cameras.

If you are a registered Hub member, make sure that you log out when you have completed your session.  You should also reset the browser to clear the browsing history, and any “cookies” (small files placed on your computer) from particular websites. (In Firefox, go to the Tools menu, and select “Clear Private Data”.  In Internet Explorer, go to the Tools menu, select Internet Options, select the Content tab, and then click Autocomplete.)

Resources:

You can read more from us about privacy and suggestions on how to anonymize your activity on the Hub, but we strongly encourage you to visit these great sites: