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Here are some tips to keep yourself safe online. Feel free to add your own in the comments:
DO NOT AGREE TO OR ASK TO MEET UP WITH OTHER FDS WOMEN.
Don’t do it on the sub. Don’t do it in chat. Don’t do it on the Discord. Don’t do it anywhere.
I know it’s hard finding like-minded individuals who you can go to for support in real life. The best way to normalize the FDS mindset and hope that it gains traction among more women you know and trust is by spreading the word anonymously. We’re already on the radar of several major publications. The more this sub grows, the more likely you’ll eventually meet other women who share your views through safer, organic channels.
DO NOT GIVE YOUR REAL NAME OR LOCATION. EVER.
Pretty basic stuff. In most cases, your name, phone number, home address, occupation/employer, and other personal information is all likely publicly available and a simple Google search away. A dude on Hinge once refused to give me his last name. Based on only a first name, a rough idea of his job title, and a few photos, I found all of his personal information and and criminal record in a little over twenty minutes. To the shock of no one, he’d been arrested on domestic violence charges.
DO NOT SHOW YOUR FACE OR YOUR ENVIRONMENT.
Those of you who have seen Don’t Fuck with Cats know that the internet can find you based on nothing more than a pack of cigarettes and a fucking vacuum cleaner. Your environment gives away far more identifying information than you know.
KEEP YOUR INFORMATION ON LOCKDOWN. OBFUSCATE. OBFUSCATE. OBFUSCATE.
I tell a lot of personal stories on FDS. I ALWAYS change names/dates/ages/locations/occupations and all other information not completely relevant to the story. I don’t share my exact hobbies. All of that circumstantial information can be aggregated to get a good idea of who you are.
You should have an email address you use only for FDS. Do not add any personal information to the email address. Use a fake name and location. It’s easy to forget what kind of information you’re sharing when you’re posting in multiple locations.
BE CAREFUL WITH LINKS.
Do not click on links from sources you don’t trust! Phishing links and session hijacking can be used to steal your Reddit/Email/Facebook/Twitter/Bank and any other account details and gain access to your personal information. These can be disguised as emails from legitimate sources (emails are super easy to spoof), links in chat (you may have seen these on Facebook messenger from compromised accounts), or URLs in any other location.
STRIP METADATA FROM PHOTOS/VIDEOS.
If you absolutely must post photos... More people are becoming aware of this since the iPhone now has photo maps and sometimes shows the photo location above an image, but for those of you who don’t know… Most photos/videos you take with any camera (whether it’s your phone or a DSLR) automatically record information known as “metadata.” By default, metadata includes information on your camera, what settings were used, and also THE EXACT GPS LOCATION WHERE THE PHOTO WAS TAKEN. Reading metadata is super easy and can be done by anyone. In all my tests, the location provided by iPhone metadata was able to accurately identify the exact address of the sender. Still think posting selfies to that makeup or skincare sub is safe?
Can someone please tell me who I should contact to delete this account? I now have created a new one with the e-mail I will only use for FDS. Thank you everybody for many amazing pieces of advices and to the admins who cares about our safety
An old thread, but it's showing up on the new forum posts so I'll add a couple: Lock down your LinkedIn! Do not show your last name, and hide your photo as much as possible. If you do use a photo, use that photo ONLY for LinkedIn - NOTHING else. Strip all metadata and do not post that nice professional picture on Instagram, any social media, site your dating profile, Twitter, email it to your family, save it to your Google Drive or other photo site, anywhere. It lives only on LinkedIn and only those you vet and accept as connections can see it.
Take your time adding where you work and do not include it in any publicly available information. Add a generic title to your tagline with NO workplace information. That is for your connections to see only and recruiters or job prospects you determine are legitimate get to see that on your resume. It is NOT for every stalker, ex, creep on the internet to see and learn.
Your phone # is sacred. Do not give it out to be used as spam or by every person you meet. They get an app phone # first, and maybe after years of vetting they get upgraded to your real #. That phone number is for your family, college contacts, and vetted long-time best friends. You know if someone calls that number it's a legitimate call. Spam on that number is rare and easy to spot, you've long memorized the numbers that really call you. As a result of this practice, my phone # that I've had most of my life is not found on any search online (my number does not exist says the internet), and I so rarely get spam calls that I'm actually surprised when it happens. No one has my number who shouldn't. If they were to get it, I would make it an issue, but they won't because I trust those who have my phone #. Protect yourselves. Your address is even more private, and this is what PO Boxes are for. No one should be finding you who shouldn't be. Good luck!
this right here is my favorite thread. someone tried to log into my IG account from Russia 6 months ago (i'm in North America). let's continue to teach each other best security practices!
My soon to be ex was masterful at doxxing. I now see the predatory nature of his behavior. I never believed he would harm me, but I was kind of afraid to leave him because I saw how invasive he was with people.
Literally every time I post anywhere, I use caution.
These losers are so pathetic. So they don't like FDS philosophy, fine. Why can't they just move on with their day? I don't like PUA philosophy so I just avoid men who think that way. I don't go into PUA groups and try to interact with them, never mind try to meet up with them in real life. These NVM have too much time on their hands.
I second a VPN -- if FDS is ever hacked then there's going to be a long list of user data tying each username to an IP address, which will give them every specific location you access FDS from.
Everyone should be using a VPN + firefox + protonmail anyway.
For those who want even more security, you should check out hackblossom, a feminist cybersecurity website. I installed a bunch of browser extensions I found there.
Use a Name you don't use anywhere else.
Use a NEW email address for signing up (protonmail is good). This is very important! Change your email if you use it somewhere else where the accounts could get connected to each other.
Use a VPN if you can (preferably NOT NordVPN, sellouts). I use protonVPN, but here is a website to inform you of VPNs: https://thatoneprivacysite.net/
Try to NOT use google chrome when visiting websites, but either Firefox or Brave. Remember that google likes to track people.
Shit I just updated my profile pic with a real one. Is that something outsiders can see as well?
Edit: changed it just to be on the safe side.
There are also email generator sites (I have not tested it out yet)! It sets up a random email adress for you and then the account automatically deletes itself w/ in 10-15 min timeframe. People use these sites to sign up for online coupons w/ out the hassel of getting junk mail. In theory I think it can possibly help us not get doxxed.
Update: Tested it out (site:10minutemail) I was able to create a new reddit account and sign up for uniqlo lol in under 10 mins. Downside is you can never access that email adress again so you need to create a good ass password when you register an account. Upside: If you get hacked all they have is your account and they can't ever trace you.
Another good tip is to use google alerts on your username and your legal name. Sometimes these assholes work in teams and they'll search high and low just to dox you so make sure all your social media is private.
Great post - doxxing is a very real concern in 2020
Thanks for this! Can you recommend an email provider for FDS use that won't require mobile phone number or other personal info?