Tips to Keep Safe During These Trying Times
Year 2020 so far has pulled a fast one on everyone. Quite a lot has happened within such a short period, it seems 2021 should start right away. From the loss of NBA legend, Kobe Bryant, to the COVID-19 outbreak to the Minneapolis riots, the Australian bush fires and so on. It’s quite easy to get carried away with such events and lose sight of the big picture; your safety. Times like this very much benefit the digital space, for those who actually know how to navigate it, especially with malicious intent.
In response to the protests rocking different parts of the world at the moment, it is important to know how to keep safe in the midst of it all.
Do Not Share Your Location in Real-time
This is crucial as it disorients persons with malicious intent from tracking you. What motivates them is not known, what matters is that you don’t make it easy to get tracked. Especially for those present at the riots and actively participating in it, sharing your locations is not in your best interests, as you can be tracked, questioned, and charged accordingly depending on the outcome. If you are to do so, share with only loved ones.
Limit Video Recording
A lot of persons easily get carried away in moments like this and make decisions that could prove costly after all these is over. Blur sensitive parts such as your license plates, faces of strangers etc. in order to protect your identity. Not only can videos indict you, it can also indict others, and can be used to track people, even without the individual displaying the location it was taken.
Avoid Crime
This really doesn’t need to be said, but in certain moments, the ability to discern between what is right and wrong evaporates. No matter how bad one may feel about a situation, please do not commit crime or be an accomplice to it, not only is it morally wrong, such decisions will prove costly in the long run. Technology has advanced well enough such that it won’t take long for law enforcement to come visit.
Avoid Unguarded Speech
The U.S Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that hate speech is legally protected free speech under the First Amendment. — Wiki
Despite being portrayed as free speech, an unguarded speech may not serve the best purpose. While it might seem like freedom of expression, such can give an insight into the thought process of a person, what they are capable of doing, or what they support whether they participate physically in it or not. In short, an unguarded speech can indict you, maybe not at that moment, but soon. The internet does not forget.
Secure Media Accounts
Keep media accounts as secure as possible. This is important for persons who are vocal in the digital space. Illegal access to such accounts can prove costly, as a lot of damage can be done, ranging from self defamation to an outright loss of the account.
Promote Positivity and A Sense Of Hope
Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one’s life or the world at large.
In trying times like this, the world needs all the optimism it can get. Humans are emotional creatures as well as thinking ones, we should serve as a source of hope online, as there’s no telling what influence this has on followers and anyone who reads our posts. A lot of persons are influenced by what they see online, with or without knowing it, so it is very important that we make them realize that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
