Staying safe online

While the internet is a necessary and brilliant tool, it’s increasingly important to be aware of your online identity. We’ve got some tips to help you stay safe online and protect your online reputation:

• Use appropriate platforms for the different parts of your life, e.g. your LinkedIn will probably portray a side of you that is not seen on Snapchat.     
• If you’d rather keep some parts of your life more private, use appropriate privacy settings and maybe an alias not associated with your full name.

Abuse that targets a person because of their disability, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation or transgender identity is classified as a hate crime. If you witness sexist, racist or other abuse on social media:

• Don’t ‘like’, respond or share.
• Report abuse to the social media platform, the police and to LJMU. Visit reportharmfulcontent.com for more information.

Intimate image abuse, known as ‘revenge porn’ is the act of sharing (or threatening to share) intimate images or videos without consent with the intention of causing distress. Intimate image abuse is against the law and can result in up to two years in prison.

What to do if someone is threatening to share your images:

• Don’t give in to their demands. Do not give them any money, it will just encourage them to ask you for more. 
• Block them and report them to the platforms for threats. Take screenshots of any messages and shared content as evidence. 
• Report to the police. Call the non-emergency number on 101.
• If your images have been shared, there is help for you to get them taken down. Contact help@revengepornhelpline.org.uk or call 0345 6000 459 Monday to Friday 10.00am – 4.00pm
• Find support at LJMU. Speak to Student Advice and Wellbeing services who are here to offer support free of judgement.