Your safety online
Staying safe while browsing this site.
If someone else has access to your device or accounts, there are steps you can take to browse more privately and cover your tracks. This page explains what you can do.
The Quick Exit button
Every page on this site has a Quick Exit button in the top bar. Clicking it — or pressing the Escape key — will immediately take you to a different website (BBC Weather) and replace this page in your browser history, so it is harder to see that you visited us.
Quick Exit is not foolproof. For greater privacy, use the steps below.
Browse privately
Most browsers have a private or incognito mode that does not save your browsing history, cookies, or form data. When you close the private window, the session is cleared automatically.
Press Ctrl + Shift + N (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + N (Mac) to open a new Incognito window.
Press Ctrl + Shift + P (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + P (Mac) to open a new Private window.
Go to File > New Private Window, or press Cmd + Shift + N.
Press Ctrl + Shift + N to open a new InPrivate window.
In Chrome, tap the three dots and choose 'New Incognito tab'. In Safari, tap the tabs icon and choose 'Private'.
Clear your browsing history
If you have already visited this site without private browsing, you can delete the history from your browser. Be aware that deleting all history may itself raise suspicion — you may prefer to delete only specific entries.
Press Ctrl + H (Windows) or Cmd + Y (Mac) to open History. Find the entry for this site, click the three dots next to it, and choose 'Remove from history'.
Press Ctrl + H to open History. Right-click the entry for this site and choose 'Forget About This Site'.
Go to History > Show All History. Find the entry and press Delete.
Press Ctrl + H to open History. Find the entry and click the X next to it to remove it.
Check your accounts
If someone has access to your email, social media, or cloud accounts, they may be able to see your activity even if you clear your browser history. Consider whether any accounts are shared or accessible to someone else.
Check whether your email is set to sync to a shared device or whether someone else knows your password.
If you are signed into a Google account, your search and browsing history may be saved there. Visit myactivity.google.com to review and delete activity.
If you use an Apple device and iCloud is enabled, browsing history may sync across devices. Check your iCloud settings.
If you are worried about your device
Some abusers install monitoring software (sometimes called spyware or stalkerware) on their partner's device without their knowledge. If you think your device may be monitored, it may be safer to use a different device — such as one at a library, a friend's home, or a work device — to seek help.
Your device battery drains unusually fast, it runs slowly, or the other person seems to know things you have only done or said on your device.
The National Domestic Abuse Helpline (0808 2000 247) can advise on digital safety. The Refuge Tech Safety website also has detailed guidance.
Remember
If you are in immediate danger, call 999. If you cannot speak, call 999 and press 55. Your safety is the most important thing.