Consider safety before changing accounts or devices
If you are worried that someone may be watching, controlling, or accessing your device or accounts, your safety comes first. Technology can leave a digital trail, and a device that another person has not accessed may be safer for looking for information or seeking support.
It may be hard to know whether you are being monitored. You do not need to prove what is happening before seeking specialist information or talking with a trusted person. The priority is to consider what is safest for you.
Pause before making major changes
Before changing passwords, account settings, location sharing, or devices, consider whether a change could be noticed by another person and affect your safety. Some changes may be useful in some circumstances, but they are not safe for everyone at every time. If you can, seek support from a trusted person or specialist service and use a safer device for that conversation.
This resource does not tell readers to immediately alter a device, delete information, reset an account, or confront another person. Individual circumstances differ, and quick changes can sometimes create additional risk.
Understand the limits of Quick Exit and private browsing
Shield & Rebuild’s Quick Exit control can help a person leave the website quickly. It does not delete browser history, erase a device record, remove information held in an account, or prevent someone from seeing other activity on a shared or monitored device.
Private or incognito browsing can reduce locally saved browser history after a session, but it is not a complete privacy solution. A safer device, careful planning, and specialist guidance may be more appropriate where there are concerns about monitoring or technology-facilitated abuse.
Find specialist Australian information
1800RESPECT provides 24/7 support and technology-safety information for people affected by domestic, family, or sexual violence. The eSafety Commissioner also provides online-safety planning information, including a checklist for people experiencing domestic and family violence.
If there is an immediate danger, call 000. If the concern involves a cybercrime or online incident, ReportCyber and eSafety may also be relevant, depending on what occurred. You can choose the support pathway that best fits the situation.
Related official sources
- 1800RESPECT — Technology and safety
Technology-safety information, safer-device guidance, and 24/7 support options.
- eSafety Commissioner — Online safety checklist
Official Australian online-safety planning guidance.
- Australian Cyber Security Centre — ReportCyber
Australian Government cybercrime reporting information.