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That’s it, we’ve reached the end of our DIY Online Safety guide. We’ve designed it to support those of us dealing with digital abuse, providing help and guidance for five of the most common types: scams, online harassment, image-based abuse, nonconsensual location-tracking, unauthorised account access.
We’ve also looked at three types of complex harm that don’t always fit into one category: financial abuse, a loved one being caught in a romance scam, and unmanageable AI chatbot relationships.
That’s it, we’ve reached the end of our DIY Online Safety guide. We’ve designed it to support those of us dealing with digital abuse, providing help and guidance for five of the most common types: scams, online harassment, image-based abuse, nonconsensual location-tracking, unauthorised account access.
We’ve also looked at three types of complex harm that don’t always fit into one category: financial abuse, a loved one being caught in a romance scam, and unmanageable AI chatbot relationships.
We hope it’s been useful—here’s a round-up of the biggest takeaways to keep in mind.
Digital abuse comes in many forms. It may involve emotional manipulation, unwanted monitoring, image misuse, financial control, or coercive use of technology.
AI is changing the landscape. From romance scams to deepfake images to chatbot relationships, emerging tech tools are creating new risks—and needs for new boundaries.
Being scammed is not our fault. It just makes us human.
Illegal and harmful are not the same things. Online harassment doesn’t need to meet legal definitions to be harmful.
Consent is explicit. Consent to take or share an image once doesn’t mean consent forever.
Location-tracking can happen without physical devices or obvious apps, and is often part of a larger pattern of coercive control.
Unauthorised account access doesn’t usually start with hacking. The most common methods involve emotional manipulation.
We don’t need proof to act. Instincts and feelings matter, and it’s valid to take steps even if we can’t yet explain or confirm exactly what’s happening.
Prevention strategies are about empowerment, not blame. Small actions (like changing passwords or setting boundaries) can increase our control without shame.
Support can look different for everyone—for some, it might mean contacting a service or setting up a new email. For others, it can be talking to a friend, or just reading this guide. There is no one right way to respond. This guide is here for support, whatever comes next—whether it’s a quiet step forward, a difficult decision, or simply naming what happened.
If you’ve experienced digital abuse, this guide is just part of your journey. It’s up to you what steps you take next—as we’ve said, there is no one ‘right’ approach. But if you’re looking for more support or want to follow up on anything you’ve read here, we’ve collated this list of helpful resources—including many of those mentioned at different points throughout this guide.
Resources are organised in alphabetical order.
Chayn is a global nonprofit making healing accessible for all survivors of gender-based violence. All our online resources are co-created with or informed by volunteers and survivors, to make sure that they are survivor-centred and encompass diverse perspectives from around the world. If you’d like to support us, there are many ways you can do that.
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Find out how you can sign up to join our volunteering team or make other contributions on our dedicated Get involved page.
This guide was created in collaboration between Chayn and EndTAB. Chayn is made up of a team of survivors and allies.
© 2025 Chayn CIO.
This guide is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Licence.
You are free to share and adapt this work, provided you give appropriate credit and indicate if changes were made.
