Digital safety plan
A private worksheet for people worried that someone they know is monitoring or controlling them through technology. Plan what to change, in what order, and when.
- Checked against sources
- Licence
- CC BY 4.0, free to adapt
- Sources
- 3 cited
Remove the guidance notes in square brackets before you publish.
How to use this
This worksheet is for you, and ideally for working through with a family violence advocate. Women’s Refuge (0800 733 843, 24 hours) and Shine (0508 744 633) help with technology safety as part of safety planning.
Keep it somewhere the other person can’t find it. A paper copy in a safe place, or a file on a device or account they’ve never had access to. If you download it, think about where the file will be saved and synced.
Read the technology-facilitated abuse guide first. It explains why the order of changes matters.
My digital safety plan
1. My situation
What’s happening that worries me? (For example: they know where I’ve been; they quote my messages; accounts have changed.)
What do I think they might do if they notice I’ve made changes?
Who is helping me? (Advocate, friend, lawyer, Police contact.)
2. Safe ways to communicate
A device they have never had access to: ____________________
An email account they don’t know about and have never accessed: ____________________
A person I can call in an emergency, and a code word: ____________________
3. Evidence
Before changing anything, I’ve recorded (photos or screenshots, with dates):
- [ ] unknown trackers found
- [ ] unfamiliar apps or devices on my accounts
- [ ] account changes I didn’t make
- [ ] threatening or controlling messages
- [ ] other: ____________________
Where I’m keeping the evidence safely: ____________________
4. What they may have access to
Tick what applies, and note what you know.
| Access | Yes / No / Not sure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Knows my phone passcode | ||
| Knows my email or other passwords | ||
| Knows answers to my security questions | ||
| Shares a phone plan with me, or the plan is in their name | ||
| Shares an Apple, Google or Microsoft account or family group | ||
| Can see my location (Find My, Maps, family apps, car app) | ||
| Has access to my cloud photos or backups | ||
| Controls smart home devices, cameras or the internet router | ||
| Has bought or set up my phone or laptop | ||
| Is set as a recovery phone or email on my accounts | ||
| Has access to my banking or shared accounts | ||
| Has access to my children’s devices |
5. Changes, in order
Decide with your advocate what to change, when, and what to do if they react.
| Change | When | Could they notice? | What I’ll do if they do |
|---|---|---|---|
Things people often do first, quietly: set up a safe email; move important documents to it; save evidence; check bank accounts. Things people often do later, at a planned time: remove location sharing; change passwords and recovery details; get a new phone.
6. Reducing what’s public
- [ ] Ask my council to withhold my name from the rates database
- [ ] Apply for the unpublished electoral roll
- [ ] If I’m a company director, apply for an alternative address (from 18 November 2026)
- [ ] Ask friends and family not to post photos that show where I live or my routines
- [ ] Work through the personal exposure audit at faraday.co.nz/tools/exposure-audit
7. If I’m in danger
Call 111. If I can’t speak, call 111 and press 55 when asked.
Sources
Something wrong or out of date? Tell us or edit this page on GitHub. General information, not legal advice.