Many victims in different facets of their process may agree that they feel a need for privacy.
In relation to their home addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, websites, photos, relatives, any and all identifiable information that could increase risk. Since the objective is safety, it is disheartening to see free and paid sites alike on the internet offering such information readily to the hands of many. Victims fall into another category in my opinion and should have a legislative opt out measure in place to have their personal traceable data removed off the internet permanently.
Safety is first and foremost and this would serve as a preventative measure. Just ask the women in shelters who are hidden right now looking for a fresh start how important their safety and privacy is. All the work and time spent to follow a plan to safety could be lost by many means. Many shelters will remove the battery from a cellphone for this purpose. Yet imagine a battery that is not removed. Imagine a world where through a few keystrokes someone could stalk you to your front door?
Not a pleasant thought. Seeing as victims live with fear and worry on a daily basis about the future it would be detrimental to foil their plans for a new life by exposure.
The internet offers this exposure. Simple things can be done to ensure further safety on the internet and such tips are very useful. Yet it goes deeper than that. As long as predatory persons,stalkers,perpetrators, or whomever are allowed the means to look up any individual and receive such vast data. Victims really aren't safe and re-occurrences could be likely of people being found via the internet. The most disturbing thing I found in my research were actual photos of peoples homes former to present home addresses and other vital information people retain only for the privileged.
I believe an opt out feature should be made nationwide. Where victims of violent crimes can sign up if they feel they need to, to have personal identifiable and traceable data removed from websites that profit from the misery of others as some do charge for these reports. I know it might be a long shot. However, how many more have to be stalked and killed all because of a paper trail?
Having stalking laws in place is just not enough we need more than that we do not need an internet security hole since pieces of papers do not stop crime or bullets. Protect all victims of crime and target these sites that make it very easy to obtain information for malicious purposes.
OPT OUT!
Stop Online Exploitation Of Crime Victims Info
