Resources
By Topic
Choose a topic to understand it, check the facts and know what to do next. Search by keyword to find the right one.
Explore
Pick a topic
Search by keyword, or choose a topic to read it.
The keyword search and the topic tabs appear here on the live page. Each topic is a panel section below: to add a topic, duplicate a panel, change its CSS ID, title, text and keywords. Its tab and its search entry are created automatically.
No topic matches your search yet. Try a shorter or different word, or .
Spotting false information
Not everything online is true, and some of it is made to fool you. Learn how to notice it, test it, and keep it from travelling further.
Why this matters
One tap is all it takes for a post, photo or video to reach thousands of people. The message may be a mistake, a joke that went too far, or something made on purpose to scare, anger or trick people. Once it is shared, it is very hard to take back.
For children and young people there is another risk: people who want to harm or cheat them often use fake profiles, fake prizes and made-up stories to win trust. Learning to question what you see is part of staying safe.
False information can…
- push people into choices they later regret
- spread fear, panic and confusion
- damage someone’s name, friendships or family
- turn neighbours and communities against each other
- make people stop trusting reliable news, teachers, doctors and officials
- spread rumours and unfair ideas about groups of people
Quick steps: three habits that help
No special skills are needed. Slow down, look for a second source, and think before you send.
Pause
Posts that make you angry, scared or very excited are often made to do exactly that. Take a breath before you react, comment or share.
Check another source
Look for the same story in a second place you trust, such as a known news outlet, an official page, a teacher or a parent. Big news is usually reported by more than one source.
Share only what you can check
Every forward and repost helps a message travel. If you cannot tell whether it is true, do not pass it on. Ask a trusted adult instead.
Start here
Three short guides. Open one to read it.
Misinformation is false or misleading content that is shared by someone who believes it or did not check it. Disinformation is false content that is made and spread on purpose.
Both spread fast because they are surprising, emotional and easy to forward. Images, voices and videos can also be made or changed with artificial intelligence (so-called deepfakes), so something that looks real is not proof that it is real.
Common warning signs:
- a loud headline that tells you to “share before it is deleted”
- no author, no date, or no way to find the original
- an account that was created very recently
- a photo or video that does not match the story
- Who made it? Open the page or account. How old is it? Do real people and known organisations follow it?
- Find the original. A screenshot can be edited. Look for the first place the story appeared.
- Check the date. Old photos and videos are often reused for new stories.
- Search the claim with other words and add “fact check”.
- Try a reverse image search (for example Google Lens or TinEye) to see where a photo came from.
- Look closely. Odd hands or teeth, blurred edges, a voice that does not match the lips and spelling mistakes can be signs of a fake.
- Ask someone you trust before you decide.
Do not share it, argue with it, or tag your friends. Tell a trusted adult or the person who sent it, and use the report button in the app (Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Telegram and others) to flag false or harmful content.
If a post or message targets a child, asks a child for photos, money or secrets, or looks like abuse or exploitation, report it to APLE. You can stay anonymous. If a child is in immediate danger, call the national police hotline on 1288 or contact your local police for help.
More from APLE
Source: Internet Society Online Trust and Safety Hub
False information
false information, misinformation, disinformation, fake news, rumour, rumor, hoax, deepfake, AI-generated, fake photo, fake video, fake profile, scam, fact check, verify, verification, source, social media, viral, forward, share, trust, online safety
Online scams and how to avoid them
Scams can reach anyone, and they look more convincing every year. A few simple habits make you much harder to fool. Learn how scams work, how to spot them, and what to do if one happens to you.
Why this matters
Scams happen to people of every age, job and income. They arrive by message, phone call, email, social media, games and shopping pages. Some now use copied logos, cloned voices and fake videos made with artificial intelligence, so they can look very real. Many people never report a scam because they feel embarrassed, which is why the problem is bigger than it looks.
Children and young people can be reached through games, social media and chat apps, with offers of free items, quick money, jobs or a new friend. Scammers may also pretend to be someone a child knows or likes. Knowing the tricks protects you, your family and your friends.
Scams can…
- empty a bank account, a savings group or a mobile wallet
- take over accounts such as Facebook, email or banking apps
- steal your identity, documents or private photos
- bring threats and blackmail
- leave you feeling ashamed, scared or alone
- spread fast through your friends and contacts
Quick steps: three habits that help
You do not need to be a technology expert. These three habits stop most scams.
Slow down
Scammers need you to hurry. A message that says “now”, “last chance” or “you will be punished” is a reason to wait, not to act. Let it sit for a few minutes.
Check another way
Do not use the link or phone number in the message. Open the official app or website yourself, or call a number you already trust, and ask if the message is real.
Say no, and tell someone
Never share your PIN, passwords or one-time codes, and never pay to “release” a prize or a job. If someone tells you to keep it secret, talk to a trusted person.
Start here
Five short guides, from knowing the tricks to helping someone who was scammed. Open one to read it.
Common types of scam
- Surprise money: you “won” a prize, inherited money or are owed a refund, then you are asked for a fee or your details.
- Shopping and travel: fake shops, ads and cheap deals. You pay and nothing arrives.
- Investment: big, guaranteed profits through a fake app, a crypto scheme or a pretend adviser.
- Fake officials or companies: someone says they are from a bank, the police, a tax office or a delivery company and tells you to pay now.
- Fake family or friends: “I am in trouble, please send money”, from a new number or a hacked account.
- Fake jobs: you must pay a fee, buy equipment or hand over your documents before you start.
- Romance: a friendly person you only know online, then a sudden “emergency” that needs money.
- Fake charities: after a disaster, asking for fast donations to a private account.
- Fake bosses or suppliers: a message that looks like it comes from a manager and asks to change bank details or pay an invoice quickly.
- Threats and blackmail: “I have your private photos” or “I hacked your phone”, then a demand for money.
How scammers push you
- Fear: your account will close, you will be arrested, or someone you love is in danger.
- Hurry: you must act within minutes, so you have no time to check.
- Curiosity: a prize, a refund or a login alert makes you tap before you think.
- Politeness: it feels rude to say no, so you answer anyway.
- Kindness and friendship: a warm, caring person makes a request feel personal.
- “Only a few left”: an offer that seems limited makes you afraid to miss out.
- “Everyone is doing it”: fake reviews, likes and famous faces make a bad offer look safe.
- Small first, bigger later: a small favour or payment first, then bigger demands once you feel involved.
- Looking official: a logo, a title or a uniform makes an order hard to question.
Your own state of mind matters too. Feeling too clever to be fooled, trusting anything that looks familiar, or being in a hurry, tired or worried can all make a mistake more likely.
Warning signs to look for
- a sender or phone number you do not know
- a website address or name that is slightly wrong
- spelling and grammar mistakes
- a link from an unknown number
- scary pop-ups that say your phone or computer is in danger
- a page that looks odd or badly made
- a request for passwords, PINs, ID details or one-time codes
- “act now” and strict deadlines
- strange ways to pay, such as gift cards, crypto or a personal account
- a guaranteed prize or guaranteed profit
- a request to keep it secret
What to do
- Take your time. You can always answer later.
- Look before you tap. On a computer, hold the mouse over a link to see its real address. On a phone, press and hold the link instead of tapping it.
- Notice how you feel. Fear, guilt and excitement are exactly what scammers want. Calm down first.
- Check big claims through an official website or a number you already trust, not through the message.
- Ask questions. A real person can answer. A scammer often gets angry or disappears.
- Question the hype. Likes, reviews and “everyone is joining” can be faked.
- Say no. You do not owe a stranger an explanation, and a small first request can be the start of bigger ones.
An example. A message says: “Your bank account will be closed in one hour. Tap this link to keep it open.” It uses fear, hurry and a link. Do not tap. Open your bank’s app yourself or call the number on your card or the official website.
You can practise for free with Google’s game Be Scam Ready (in English, opens another website).
Your accounts
- One strong password for each account. If one account is hacked, the others stay safe. Use a long phrase of random words, numbers and symbols, not names or birthdays.
- Use a password manager to create and keep long passwords, so you do not have to remember them all.
- Turn on two-step login (also called multi-factor authentication). After your password you also enter a code. A code from an authenticator app is stronger than one sent by text.
- Turn on account alerts for new logins, password changes and payments.
- Log in only through the official app or website. Never through a link in a message.
Your phone, computer and Wi-Fi
- Keep everything updated. Updates close security holes. Turn on automatic updates.
- Lock your devices with a PIN, password or fingerprint, and switch on “find and erase my device”.
- Change the password of your home Wi-Fi and do not keep the one it came with. Use a separate guest network for visitors.
- Be careful with free public Wi-Fi. Do not download anything to get connected, and avoid banking on it.
- Install trusted security software to catch harmful files and websites.
Your money and papers
- Prefer payment methods that offer protection and a way to dispute a payment.
- Treat mobile money and wallet apps like a bank account. Never share your PIN or one-time codes, even with someone who offers to help.
- Keep ID, account numbers and SIM details safe, and do not send photos of them in chats.
- Check your statements and payment history often. Small payments you do not recognise are a warning. Close accounts you no longer use.
- Before you send money, confirm by calling the person on a number you already know. Before you pay on a website, read its name letter by letter. The lock symbol and “https” only mean the connection is private; scam websites can have them too.
- Agree on a family code word that anyone must give before money is sent in an “emergency”.
Act fast
- Stop contact. Block the person. Do not reply, even to “fix” it.
- Call your bank or payment provider now. Ask them to stop or reverse payments and to protect your accounts.
- Secure your accounts. Change passwords and turn on two-step login. Do it from a safe device.
- Disconnect a device that may have a harmful app or that someone may control from far away, and ask a trusted technician for help.
- Write down what you shared, such as passwords, ID details or card numbers, so you know what to protect.
Report
- Keep the evidence: messages, phone numbers, account numbers, receipts and screenshots. Do not delete them until you have reported.
- Tell the police or the office that deals with online crime. Recovery is not always possible, but reports help stop the scammer from hurting others.
- Report it on the app or website where it happened, so the account or advert can be removed.
- Beware of “recovery” offers. People who promise to get your money back for a fee are often scammers too.
If a child is being blackmailed or pushed to send photos or money: do not pay, stop replying, and keep the chat and the account name (do not delete them). Never save or forward any private picture of a child. Report it to APLE; you can stay anonymous. If a child is in immediate danger, call the national police hotline on 1288 or contact your local police for help.
Being scammed is not your fault. Scammers design their tricks to work on clever, careful people. Talk to someone you trust. Asking for help early makes it easier to fix.
Start with care
- Say “I am glad you told me” and “let us work out the next steps together”. Avoid “you should have known”.
- Remind them that scams are designed to fool everyone. This reduces shame and helps them act.
- Let them tell the story in their own words, and listen without rushing.
Help with the practical steps
- Help them stop all contact with the scammer.
- Look through their bank, wallet and card history together for payments they do not recognise.
- Change passwords, turn on two-step login and check their devices.
- Save the evidence, and offer to sit beside them when they call the bank or the police.
- Warn them about “recovery” scams, and check their accounts again in the weeks ahead.
Look out for people around you
- Someone suddenly needs to send money or take out savings in a hurry.
- Someone becomes very secretive about a new online friend, job or investment.
If you notice these signs, gently invite them to pause and talk, and quietly check with family or friends who know them well.
Blackmail, fake friends and requests for private pictures
If someone is threatening you, or pressing a child for photos, money or secrets, it is not your fault. Do not pay and do not reply. APLE can help, and you can stay anonymous.
More from APLE
Source: adapted by APLE from Becoming Scam Strong, Internet Society Online Trust and Safety Hub (licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). Rewritten in our own words for readers in Cambodia; changes were made.
Online scams
scam, scams, fraud, phishing, fake website, fake shop, fake job, job offer, romance scam, investment scam, prize, lottery, refund, one-time code, OTP, PIN, password, two-step login, multi-factor authentication, MFA, mobile banking, mobile money, wallet, payment, blackmail, sextortion, hacked account, impersonation, fake profile, wi-fi, security, report a scam
Protecting your privacy and security
Every time you go online you share a little about yourself. Keeping that information safe protects your privacy, your money and your accounts. You do not need to be a technical expert to start.
Why this matters
You do not have to be famous or rich for your information to be worth collecting. Details about ordinary people are gathered, sold, bought and sometimes lost in data leaks. Criminals use them to guess passwords, open accounts in your name and write messages that sound as if they come from someone you know.
Most harm starts with details you give away without noticing, or that a company fails to protect. A small number of changes prevent most of the damage. None of them needs special skills, and you do not have to do everything in one day.
Your personal details can be used to…
- guess your passwords and security answers
- open bank, phone or social media accounts in your name
- write a message that sounds like a friend, a boss or a bank
- find out where you live, study or work
- target you with scams, threats or blackmail
- build a profile of your habits to sell to advertisers
Start today: three steps
Start small. These steps fix the most common weak spots, and each takes only a few minutes.
Protect your email first
Password resets for all your other accounts arrive in your email, so it is the master key. Give it a password you use nowhere else and turn on two-step login.
Update and lock
Turn on automatic updates for your phone, computer and browser, and lock every device with a PIN, password or fingerprint.
Check what one app can see
Open your phone’s privacy settings, pick one app and look at what it can reach: camera, microphone, photos, contacts and location. Switch off whatever it does not need.
Start here
Five short guides, each with a link to the full topic. Open one to read it.
Personal information is anything that could identify you or be used to reach you: your name, birth date and address; your phone number, email and usernames; ID or passport numbers; bank and payment details; health, school and work records; your location history and contacts; and your passwords and security answers. Photos, messages, voice notes and even the questions and files you give to an AI tool can contain personal details too.
One detail alone rarely does harm. Put several together and they can be enough to pass an identity check or to fool someone who knows you. Privacy is not the same as secrecy. It means choosing what you share, who can see it, and how it could be used later.
- Give your email a unique password and two-step login first.
- Use a different password for every account, and a password manager to keep them.
- Never read out a one-time code to anyone.
- Keep your phone, computer, browser and apps updated, and lock every device.
- Know the signs of trouble: a login alert or password reset you did not ask for, messages you did not write, or a device that suddenly runs hot and slow.
- Choose who can see your posts, and limit your old posts.
- Turn off location tags on photos and posts.
- Check each app’s permissions and remove the ones it does not need.
- Say “reject” or “necessary only” on cookie banners.
- Before you post, ask: what could someone do with this?
Read more: Your digital footprint and Reducing tracking and targeted ads
- Use a chat app that switches on end-to-end encryption by default.
- Treat email like a postcard: be careful with links, attachments and requests for money.
- Read website names carefully. The lock symbol only shows a private connection, not an honest website.
- On public Wi-Fi, do not install anything to connect, and think twice before you log in to important accounts.
- Work down the list. Do not wait until you are sure.
- Change your email password first, then the affected account, and sign out of all devices.
- Call your bank at once if money or card details are involved.
- Report it to the app or website, and tell someone you trust.
- If a child is being threatened or pressured, report it to APLE.
More from APLE
Source: adapted by APLE from Protecting Your Privacy and Security, Internet Society Online Trust and Safety Hub (licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). Rewritten in our own words for readers in Cambodia; changes were made.
Privacy and security
privacy, security, personal data, personal information, data breach, data leak, identity theft, password, email, updates, location, app permissions, encryption, safe browsing, digital safety, online safety
Your digital footprint
Everything you post, like, search and sign up for leaves a trail. Learn what that trail says about you, who can see it, and how to make it smaller.
Why this matters
A single detail rarely does harm. Put a few together, such as a school uniform, a birthday message, a photo of your street and a route from a running app, and a stranger can learn a lot about you. Some of your trail you leave on purpose. Much of it is collected without you noticing, and some may already be public because of data leaks or companies that sell information.
Privacy is not the same as secrecy. You do not have to stop using social media or give up the apps you enjoy. You only need more control over what you share, who can see it, and how it could be used later. This matters most for young people, because a post made today can still be found years from now.
Your footprint can show…
- where you live, study or work
- who your family and friends are
- your daily routine and when you travel
- answers to security questions, such as a pet’s name
- your photos and messages, if they are shared further
- your interests, which scammers and advertisers use
Quick steps: three habits that help
A ten-minute settings check, done once, makes a big difference. Then these three habits keep your trail small.
Think before you post
Ask yourself: what could someone do with this? Be careful with your live location, your school or uniform, ID cards and tickets, and children’s names.
Check your settings
Choose who can see your posts, limit your old posts, turn off location tags, and limit who can find you by phone number or email.
Look yourself up
Search for your own name and phone number now and then. If something is wrong or was posted without your permission, ask the site to remove it.
Start here
Four short guides. Open one to read it.
Personal information is anything that could identify you or be used to reach you.
- name, birth date and home address
- phone number, email address and usernames
- ID card or passport numbers
- bank and payment details
- health, school and work records
- location history and contact lists
- passwords and security answers
- photos, messages, voice notes and videos
What you type into an AI chatbot, or upload to it, can also reveal personal details about you or other people. Leave out names, addresses and private documents.
Small pieces add up. A pet’s name and the street you grew up on may be the answers to your security questions. A birth date plus an address passes an identity check in many places. A photo of a new workplace, a running route and a public birthday message together can be enough for a stranger to sound like someone who knows you.
Most accounts start with settings that share more than you need. You usually have to change them only once.
Social media
- Set who can see your posts (not “public”), and limit your old posts.
- Turn off location tagging on posts and photos.
- Limit who can find you by phone number or email.
- Check who can see your friends or followers list.
- Look at your profile while you are logged out. That is what a stranger sees.
Apps
- Open the permissions for location, camera, microphone, contacts and photos.
- Ask whether each permission fits the app’s job. A torch app has no reason to read your contacts.
- Choose “only while using the app” for location, and delete apps you no longer use.
More on cookies, trackers and ads: Reducing tracking and targeted ads.
Before you post, ask: what could someone do with this information? Be careful with:
- your live location and travel dates, especially when you are away from home
- photos of documents, tickets and boarding passes
- your school or workplace, your daily routine and the route you take
- children’s names, schools and uniforms (your own children and other people’s)
- fun quizzes that ask for a pet’s name or your mother’s maiden name, because those may be your security answers
Pictures and people. Ask before you post a photo of someone else. Never share private or intimate pictures: once a picture is sent you cannot control who copies it. If someone pressures or threatens you for pictures, it is not your fault. Tell a trusted adult and report it to APLE.
- Search for your name and your phone number, and check the image results too.
- If something is wrong, or was published without your permission, use the site’s report or removal form. In a growing number of countries you also have a legal right to ask.
- Delete accounts and apps you no longer use.
- Parents and teachers: check what is shared about children, such as names, school photos and uniforms, and ask friends and relatives to ask before they post.
If a private picture or video of a child is online, do not share it. Report it to APLE so it can be taken down.
If someone is threatening to share your pictures or information
It is not your fault. Do not pay and do not reply. Tell someone you trust. APLE can help get content removed, and you can stay anonymous.
More from APLE
Source: adapted by APLE from Why Your Personal Data Matters and Control What You Share, Internet Society Online Trust and Safety Hub (licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). Rewritten in our own words for readers in Cambodia; changes were made.
Digital footprint
digital footprint, privacy, personal information, personal data, social media settings, privacy settings, location, geotag, photos, posting, oversharing, sharenting, search yourself, remove content, delete account, security questions, children’s photos, online reputation
Securing your accounts and devices
Your passwords and your phone are the keys to your digital life. A few simple habits, such as not reusing passwords, keeping devices updated and never sharing a code, stop most break-ins.
Why this matters
Your accounts and devices hold your messages, photos, money and identity. Most break-ins do not need clever hacking. They use a password that was reused, a security flaw that was never updated, or a code that someone was talked into sharing.
The most effective protections are also the simplest. You can do most of them in one afternoon, and they protect you against scams, stalking and identity theft at the same time.
If someone gets into your account, they can…
- reset the passwords of your other accounts
- send messages that look as if they come from you
- read your private messages and see your photos
- spend your money or ask your friends for money
- lock you out of your own accounts
- use your name to cheat other people
Quick steps: three habits that help
These three habits close the doors that scammers use most.
Start with your email
Your email is the master key. Password resets for your bank, social media and shops all arrive there. Give it its own strong password and turn on two-step login.
One password for each account
Length matters more than symbols. Three or four unrelated words make a strong password you can remember. A password manager keeps the rest for you.
Never share a code
No bank, app or support desk will ask you to read out a one-time code. Anyone who does is trying to get into your account.
Start here
Four short guides. Open one to read it.
Passwords
- Never use the same password twice. If one account leaks, the others stay safe.
- Make them long. A phrase of three or four unrelated words is better than a short, complicated password.
- Use a trusted password manager to create and store them, so you only have to remember one.
- Change a password when you hear that a service was leaked. Changing passwords on a timetable, with no sign of trouble, does very little.
Two-step login (also called multi-factor authentication) means a stolen password is not enough on its own. It blocks most account takeovers.
- Turn it on for your email, banking and social media first.
- Keep the backup codes somewhere safe and offline.
- An authenticator app is stronger than a text message. Codes sent by text can be intercepted, and anyone who takes over your phone number can receive them. Some banks also offer a physical security key, and some sites offer “passkeys”, which resist fake login pages.
- Never read a code out to anyone, even someone who says they are from your bank or the app.
- Turn on automatic updates for your phone, computer, browser and apps. Most updates fix flaws that attackers already use.
- Install apps only from the official app store, and delete the ones you no longer use. Unused apps still collect data and can still have flaws.
- Replace very old devices that no longer receive security updates, if you can.
- Lock every device with a PIN, password, fingerprint or face unlock. Use at least six digits for a PIN.
- Check that device encryption is on. Most modern phones have it on by default.
- Turn on “find my device” so you can lock or erase a lost phone from far away.
- Back up what you could not bear to lose, keep the backup encrypted, and check now and then that you can restore it.
- Use your own charger rather than an unknown cable.
- The security software built into modern phones and computers is good. If you add another, choose a well-known one and run only one.
- Is your email password unique, and is two-step login turned on?
- Do you still own the recovery phone number and backup email address listed there?
- Remove connected apps that you no longer use.
- Be careful with emails that contain links, attachments or urgent requests.
- Keep an old email account open until you are sure that no bills, appointment reminders or password resets still go there.
- a login alert you do not recognise
- a password reset you did not ask for
- messages sent from your account that you did not write
- two-step login requests that arrive out of nowhere
- a device that suddenly runs hot and slow
If you see any of these, act quickly. See what to do.
More from APLE
Source: adapted by APLE from Secure Your Accounts and Devices, Internet Society Online Trust and Safety Hub (licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). Rewritten in our own words for readers in Cambodia; changes were made.
Accounts and devices
password, passwords, password manager, two-step login, multi-factor authentication, MFA, 2FA, one-time code, OTP, updates, screen lock, PIN, antivirus, backup, email security, account takeover, hacked account, passkey, security key, device security
Reducing tracking and targeted ads
Many apps and websites follow what you do so they can show you ads or sell your habits. You cannot stop all of it, but a few settings give you back a lot of control.
Why this matters
Websites, apps and advertisers collect your clicks, searches, locations and interests to build a picture of you. That picture decides which ads, videos and offers you see, and it can be sold, shared or leaked.
Tracking will not disappear completely. But you can reduce how much of your life is collected and packaged, and most of it takes settings that you only change once.
Tracking can mean…
- ads that follow you from one app or website to another
- companies knowing where you go every day
- your interests and worries used to push products or scams
- your details sold to firms you have never heard of
- children shown ads and content that was not made for them
- more personal data that can be lost in a leak
Quick steps: three habits that help
Three small habits take back a lot of control.
Reject, do not accept all
On cookie banners choose “reject” or “necessary only”. It takes one extra tap.
Ask what each app needs
A torch app does not need your contacts. For location choose “only while using the app”, and remove apps you no longer use.
Turn on tracking protection
Use a browser with tracking protection set to its strongest level, and clear your cookies now and then or use a private window.
Start here
Four short guides. Open one to read it.
Cookies are small files that let a website recognise you. Other trackers follow you from site to site. Some are useful, for example they keep you logged in. Many exist to build an advertising profile of you.
- On a cookie banner, choose “reject” or “necessary only”.
- Use a browser with tracking protection, and set it to the highest level.
- Try a search engine that does not record your searches.
- Clear your cookies now and then, or browse in a private window.
- Use separate browsers, profiles or private windows for different jobs, such as one for banking and another for shopping.
- Check an extension or add-on before you install it. Each one may be able to see what you do online.
A private window hides your activity from other people who use the same device. It does not hide it from the websites you visit or from your internet provider.
- Go through each app’s permissions for location, camera, microphone, contacts and photos.
- Ask yourself: does this permission fit what the app does? A torch app has no reason to want your contacts.
- For location, choose “only while using the app”, or “never”.
- Turn off location tags on photos and posts.
- Remove apps you no longer use.
- If you share your location with friends or family, share it only with people you choose, and for the shortest time that makes sense.
- Open each app’s settings and look for “ads”, “ad preferences” or “personalisation”. Switch off what you can.
- Limit who can find you by your phone number or email address.
- Check which apps and websites are connected to your social media accounts, and remove the ones you do not use.
- For children, use age-appropriate accounts and settings, and check them together.
- Be careful with quizzes, “free” games and photo filters that ask for access to your photos or friends list.
- Do not reply, even to say “stop”. A reply shows that the number or address is active.
- Block the sender and report the message in the app.
- Do not post your phone number or email address in public.
- Use a separate email address for sign-ups and online shops.
- Do not tap links in messages from people you do not know. See Online scams and how to avoid them.
More from APLE
Source: adapted by APLE from Control What You Share, Internet Society Online Trust and Safety Hub (licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). Rewritten in our own words for readers in Cambodia; changes were made.
Tracking and ads
tracking, trackers, cookies, targeted ads, advertising, ad personalisation, location, app permissions, privacy settings, browser, search engine, spam, unwanted messages, data brokers, children ads
Private messaging and encryption
Chat apps, email and public Wi-Fi are part of daily life. Learn which tools keep your messages private, what they cannot protect, and how to browse more safely.
Why this matters
We send photos, voice notes, documents and plans through chat apps every day. Encryption helps keep those messages private while they travel, but not every app uses it, and no tool can protect you from the person who is holding the phone at the other end.
Families have another reason to care. Group chats, shared locations and connected home devices can show a lot about a child’s life. A few settings keep that between the people who should see it.
Encryption helps protect…
- your messages, calls and voice notes
- photos you meant for one person
- passwords and payment details
- documents such as ID cards and bank papers
- your family’s location
- private conversations about work
Quick steps: three habits that help
Three habits make everyday chatting safer.
Pick a private app
Choose apps that switch on end-to-end encryption by default, such as Signal or WhatsApp, and check what their backup settings do.
Check who is in the chat
Look at who is in each group chat and who can add people. Remove people you do not know, and report unwelcome messages.
Confirm before you act
If a message asks for money or documents, confirm through another channel you already use. Do not send passwords or ID cards by message.
Start here
Five short guides. Open one to read it.
Encryption scrambles information so that only the right person can read it. With end-to-end encryption, only you and the person you are talking to can read the message. The company that runs the app cannot, your internet provider cannot, and neither can anyone who intercepts the connection.
Encryption protects a message while it travels. It cannot protect you from the person at the other end, who can take a screenshot, forward the message or show it to others. It also cannot protect you if someone picks up your unlocked phone.
Signal and WhatsApp are examples of apps that use end-to-end encryption.
Chat apps
- Use an app that has end-to-end encryption turned on by default.
- Check your backup settings. A backup that is not protected can expose old messages.
- Confirm unexpected requests through a second channel, such as a phone call to a number you already know.
- Avoid sending passwords or ID documents by message.
Email is less private than a secure chat app. Treat every email like a postcard that never gets thrown away.
- Be careful with unexpected attachments and links.
- Check the sender’s real address, not only the name that is shown.
- Confirm requests for money or documents through a channel you already use.
- Never log in through a link in an email. Open the website or the app yourself.
- Read the website name carefully before you trust a page.
- Keep your browser updated, and keep extensions to a minimum. Each one may see what you do.
- On a shared computer, use a private window. It hides your activity from the next person, not from the websites or your internet provider.
- The lock symbol and “https” only mean the connection is private. Scam websites can have them too.
Public Wi-Fi is much safer than it used to be, because most websites now scramble their traffic. Still:
- Avoid networks that ask you to install software or accept a certificate.
- Turn off automatic connection to open networks in your settings.
- For extra privacy you can use a virtual private network (VPN). Choose a well-known one: a VPN moves your trust to the VPN company, and free VPNs often earn money from your data.
- Think twice before you log in to your bank or other important accounts on a network you do not know.
- Group chats. Know who is in your child’s chats and who can add new people. Encourage them to stay in closed groups with friends, to report unwelcome messages, and to remember that anything they post can be copied and forwarded.
- Location sharing. It can help families stay in touch, but share location only with people you choose, for the shortest time that makes sense, and switch off location sharing in apps that post it publicly.
- Connected home devices, such as baby monitors, cameras and smart speakers, can be reached from outside the home. Choose devices that offer encryption, change the default password, turn off remote access if you do not need it, and switch off voice assistants when you do not need them.
Private chats are also where grooming can happen
If an adult or an older teenager asks a child for pictures, wants to keep secrets, or asks to move to a private app, stop replying and tell a trusted adult. You can report it to APLE, and you can stay anonymous.
More from APLE
Source: adapted by APLE from Communicate Privately and Browse Safely (Internet Society Online Trust and Safety Hub, licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) and A Parents’ Guide to Encryption (Global Encryption Coalition). Rewritten in our own words for readers in Cambodia; changes were made.
Private messaging
private messaging, encryption, end-to-end encryption, Signal, WhatsApp, Telegram, Messenger, group chat, email safety, browsing, https, public Wi-Fi, VPN, location sharing, smart devices, baby monitor, backup
If something goes wrong, and where to report
A hacked account, a bad link, a leaked password or a lost phone can happen to anyone. Act in the first hour, work down the list, and ask for help early. You do not need to be sure first.
Why this matters
The first hour matters more than getting everything perfect. Most damage grows while people wait, usually because they feel embarrassed or are not sure that it is serious.
Attacks are practised, well organised and aimed at everyone. Being caught says nothing about how careful you are. Shame is the main reason people delay, and delay is what makes things worse.
Act quickly if you notice…
- a login alert you do not recognise
- a password reset you did not ask for
- messages sent from your account that you did not write
- two-step login codes that arrive out of nowhere
- a payment you did not make
- a device that suddenly runs hot and slow
Quick steps: three habits that help
Do these three things first, then work through the guides below.
Cut off access
Change the password of the affected account, starting with your email. Sign out of all devices and turn on two-step login.
Call the bank if money is involved
Speed often decides whether a payment can be stopped. Use the number on your card or the official app, not a number from a message.
Tell someone
Tell a person you trust. If your account may have sent messages, warn your contacts. You are not alone.
Start here
Five short guides. Open the one that fits.
- Change the password. If you are locked out, start the account recovery process straight away.
- Change your email password too, even if email was not the account that was hacked.
- Sign out everywhere. Look for “log out of all devices” in the security settings.
- Turn on two-step login, or reset it if it may have been taken over.
- Look for changes someone else made. Many people skip this step. Check email forwarding rules, the recovery email and phone number, connected apps and linked payment methods.
- Tell your contacts that recent messages may not have come from you.
- Report it to the app or website, and to the police if money, threats or your identity are involved.
A week later, check the account again, look at the forwarding rules and recovery settings once more, change any reused password, and tell someone what happened.
If you clicked a suspicious link
- Do not type anything else on the page. Close it.
- Do not install anything that it offers.
- Change any password you entered, and the same password anywhere else you used it.
- Contact your bank if you entered card or payment details.
- Install pending updates and run a security scan.
- Report the page so that it can be removed.
If you only opened the link and did nothing else, the risk is usually low. Change the password anyway if you are unsure.
If your data was leaked
- Find out what was exposed.
- Change the password for that service, and for any account where you reused it. Turn on two-step login.
- Contact your bank if money, ID or card details were exposed.
- Keep the notice you received. You may need it later.
- Go to the organisation’s official website instead of using a link in the notice email.
- Expect follow-up scams. People who know about the leak may contact you offering to “help”.
- Use “find my device” to lock or erase the phone from far away.
- Change your email password first, then the passwords of other accounts that were signed in on the phone.
- Call your mobile company and ask them to block the SIM card. This stops a thief from receiving your login codes and from calling your contacts as you.
- If you use mobile banking or a wallet app, tell your bank or provider so they can protect your money.
- Report a theft to the police. You may need the report for your bank or your insurance.
Reporting can feel pointless, but it is often what gets you help, and it helps others because it shows patterns.
- The app or website: report a hacked account, a fake profile or a scam message through its report tools. Reports about fake profiles are usually acted on fastest.
- Your bank or payment provider: at once, if money or card details are involved.
- The police or a cybercrime unit: for theft, blackmail, stalking and anything that threatens your safety.
- Other authorities: many countries also have a national cyber-emergency team, a data protection authority and a consumer protection agency. Ask which one is right for where you live.
- APLE: if a child is threatened, blackmailed or pressed for pictures, or if you see sexual content involving a child, report it to APLE.
What to include: what happened and when; the account, email address or phone number involved; screenshots; links; and payment reference numbers if money was involved. Take screenshots first, because content often disappears after it is reported.
Important: never save, screenshot or forward a sexual image of a child, even to show someone. Write down the web address or account name and report it to APLE instead.
Some people are targeted again and again, not at random. If someone who knows you personally, such as a partner, a relative or a person with power over you, may have access to your accounts or devices, the usual advice can be unsafe. Changing a password may make the situation worse, and a shared family plan may show what you did.
Get advice from someone who works on this before you act. Read Tech safety when someone watches or controls you, or call APLE’s free hotline on 092 311 511 for confidential support.
If a child is involved
If a child is being threatened, blackmailed or pressured to send pictures, report it to APLE. You can stay anonymous. If a child is in immediate danger, call the national police hotline on 1288 or contact your local police for help.
More from APLE
Source: adapted by APLE from Respond and Report, Internet Society Online Trust and Safety Hub (licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). Rewritten in our own words for readers in Cambodia; changes were made.
If something goes wrong
hacked account, compromised account, stolen phone, lost phone, data breach, data leak, phishing, suspicious link, clicked a link, report, where to report, police, cybercrime, identity theft, SIM, recover account, forwarding rules
Online harassment and cyberbullying
Being targeted online is stressful, and it is never your fault. Learn how to protect yourself, what to save, how to report, and where to find support.
Why this matters
Online harassment is unwanted, hurtful behaviour that repeats or spreads. It can be insults and threats, shaming, rumours, fake accounts, sharing private information or pictures, or leaving someone out on purpose. It happens in comments, group chats, games and private messages, and it can follow a person home at any hour.
There is no single right way to respond. What works for one person may not work for another. One thing is always true: the person who harasses is responsible, not the person who is targeted.
Harassment can lead to…
- feeling anxious, sad, angry or alone
- trouble sleeping, studying or working
- wanting to avoid school, friends or the internet
- fear for your safety if threats or your location are posted
- damage to your name and your friendships
- pressure to share private pictures or money, which is blackmail
Quick steps: three habits that help
You do not have to handle this alone. Start with these three.
Do not fight back alone
Answering in anger often makes it worse. You can step away, block or mute. You do not have to reply.
Save the proof
Take screenshots of messages, comments and profiles, with dates and links. Never save or forward a sexual picture of a child.
Tell someone you trust
A parent, teacher, older relative or friend can listen and help you report or block. Asking for help is a strong step.
Start here
Five short guides. Open one to read it.
- Check your safety. If there are threats of violence, or someone posted your address or where you will be, tell a trusted adult now and think about contacting the police. If a child is in immediate danger, call the police hotline on 1288.
- Secure your accounts. Use strong, different passwords, turn on two-step login and tighten your privacy settings. Ask someone to go through the settings with you. See Securing your accounts and devices.
- Limit what strangers can do. Check who can message you, comment, tag you or find you by your phone number.
Save the evidence. It is tempting to delete everything and try to forget. Keep a record instead.
- Take screenshots of every message, comment, post and profile, with the date, the app and the link.
- Keep them in a folder that only you can open.
- Do this before you report, because content can disappear once it is removed.
- Do not save, screenshot or forward any sexual image of a child. Write down the account name and link and report it to APLE.
Report
- Use the report tool in the app or website where it happened. Reporting does not always get content removed, but more reports make removal more likely. Friends can report it too.
- Tell your school or workplace if the people involved are connected to it.
- Go to the police if there are threats, stalking or blackmail.
- If the harassment is sexual, or someone threatens to share private pictures, report it to APLE. You can stay anonymous.
You decide how to respond. Some options:
- Ignore. It is hard, and it is fine to step away. You do not have to answer every message.
- Block. This stops the person from messaging, tagging or following you. The downside is that you will not see if it gets worse, so tell a trusted person if you block someone who was threatening you.
- Mute or hide. You stop seeing it but keep the record, and a friend can keep an eye on it for you.
- Answer calmly. Some people feel stronger when they explain once, without insults. It can also feed the harassment, so think before you do it, and never argue or answer back in anger.
- Do not post about it publicly or shame the other person. It can make things worse for you. Talk to a trusted adult first.
- Tell people. The more people who know, the more help you can get, and the less alone you will feel.
- Ask a friend to help. A friend can read the comments for you, help you report, or look after your accounts while you take a break.
- Take breaks from the app. Spend time with people you trust, sleep, move and do things you enjoy offline.
- Ask for support. If you feel very low or unsafe, tell an adult now. You can also call APLE’s hotline on 092 311 511 or get support from APLE. It is free and confidential.
You did nothing wrong. It is the person who harasses who must stop.
- Do not join in, like or share the hurtful post.
- Check in privately: “I saw what happened. Are you okay?”
- Offer to help them save the evidence and report it.
- Report the post or the account yourself.
- Tell a teacher, parent or another trusted adult, especially if someone is being threatened.
If harassment is sexual or involves pictures
If someone shares or threatens to share private pictures, pushes a child to send pictures, or sexually harasses a child, report it to APLE. It is not your fault, and you can stay anonymous.
More from APLE
Source: ideas adapted by APLE from Responding to online harassment (Right To Be). Rewritten in our own words for readers in Cambodia; changes were made. This topic also uses APLE’s own guidance for children and young people.
Cyberbullying
cyberbullying, bullying, online harassment, harassment, trolling, abuse, insults, threats, doxxing, hate, shaming, block, mute, report, support, school, teenagers, bystander
Keeping children safe online
For parents, caregivers and educators. Children learn, play and make friends online. With open conversations, a few settings and a calm response, adults can make that space much safer.
Why this matters
The internet gives children lessons, games, friends and fun. It also puts them within reach of strangers, harmful content, bullying and people who want to exploit them. Children cannot be expected to manage this alone, and banning devices rarely works.
What helps most is trust. Children who know that they will not be punished for telling you about something upsetting are far more likely to speak up early.
Children can be at risk of…
- contact from strangers who build trust in order to harm them (grooming)
- pressure to send pictures or money (sextortion)
- bullying and harassment
- seeing violent or sexual content
- scams in games, and fake prizes
- sharing personal details or their location without realising
Quick steps: three habits that help
Three habits that every adult can start with.
Talk early and often
Ask about their favourite apps and online friends as you would ask about school. If they tell you something worrying, stay calm and thank them for telling you.
Set up together
Choose privacy settings, passwords and screen-time rules together. Keep devices in shared spaces where you can, especially for younger children.
Know where to turn
Learn the warning signs and know who to call. If a child is being pressured, threatened or exploited, report it to APLE. You can stay anonymous.
Start here
Five short guides for adults. Open one to read it.
- Start with curiosity, not rules. Ask what they enjoy online, who they talk to and what they have seen. Listen without interrupting.
- Agree on family rules together, such as when and where devices are used, and what to do if something feels wrong.
- Explain that strangers can pretend. Someone who says they are a child, a gamer or a friend of a friend may not be.
- The no-secrets rule. No adult or older person should ask a child to keep an online friendship, a picture or a gift secret. A child can always tell you, even if they broke a rule.
- Never blame the child. If something went wrong, tell them it is not their fault and that you are glad they told you.
For young children, short and simple works best. For teenagers, listen more than you speak, and respect their growing independence.
- Accounts. Help your child use a different strong password for every account and keep the main email account safe. Turn on two-step login where it is offered. See Securing your accounts and devices.
- Privacy settings. Set accounts to private, limit who can message and find them, and turn off location sharing in apps that do not need it. Look through their friends and followers together.
- Messages and groups. Encourage closed groups with real friends, and remind them that what they post can be copied and forwarded. See Private messaging and encryption.
- Parental controls. Tools for filtering, screen time and age settings can help, especially with younger children. Explain what they do and why, so that they feel like support and not spying. They do not replace conversation.
- Voice assistants and smart devices. Switch off voice assistants during lessons and private conversations, and change the default password on connected cameras and baby monitors.
- Updates and backups. Keep devices updated, and back up school work so that a lost file or a hacked laptop does not mean starting again.
- Use the platforms that your school or teacher recommends, and ask the school how it keeps lessons and chats safe.
- Keep online lessons and video calls in a shared space of the home when you can.
- Do not share lesson links or passwords outside the class.
- Tell children to report unwelcome messages or visitors in an online class to the teacher and to you.
- Educators: teach online safety as part of normal lessons, agree clear rules for online chats with students, and know your school’s steps for reporting a concern. Older students can also help younger ones with safe-use tips.
- Ask your school or library about online safety training for students, teachers and parents. APLE’s training materials and awareness materials may help.
These can have many causes. They are reasons to talk gently, not proof that something is wrong.
- sudden changes in mood or behaviour: becoming withdrawn, anxious, angry or secretive
- avoiding the phone or computer, or becoming upset after using it
- hiding screens, deleting messages, or using new accounts and apps
- a new “friend” or older contact they will not talk about
- unexplained gifts, money, phone credit or game items
- changes in sleep or appetite, or not wanting to go to school
- fear of being without their phone, or of a particular person or app
- Stay calm and listen. Let the child tell it in their own words. Thank them for telling you.
- Say that it is not their fault, even if they shared a picture or broke a rule.
- Do not punish, and do not take the device away as a first reaction. Children who fear punishment stop telling adults.
- Do not forward, save or screenshot sexual images of a child. Write down the usernames, links and dates instead.
- Report. Report to APLE, call the 24/7 hotline on 092 311 511, or chat with Pisey. You can stay anonymous. If a child is in immediate danger, call the police hotline on 1288.
- Get support for the child. APLE’s hotline, counselling and legal support for survivors are free.
Worried about a child?
You do not need to be certain. A trained APLE team member will listen and help you decide what to do next, at your pace. Everything is confidential and free.
More from APLE
Source: ideas adapted by APLE from Virtual Schooling: 11 Ways to Keep Your Child Safe Online (Internet Society) and A Parents’ Guide to Encryption (Global Encryption Coalition). Rewritten in our own words for readers in Cambodia; changes were made. This topic also builds on APLE’s own guide, Safeguarding Children Online.
Children online
children online safety, child safety, parents, caregivers, teachers, educators, school, online learning, grooming, sextortion, screen time, parental controls, privacy settings, warning signs, talk to children, disclosure
Digital wellbeing: feeling okay online
Phones and apps connect us, but they can also drain our sleep, attention and mood. Digital wellbeing means using technology in ways that leave you feeling better, not worse.
Why this matters
Social media, games and endless videos are designed to keep us looking. Hours online can cut into sleep, study, exercise and time with family and friends. Seeing other people’s best moments, or harsh comments, can also make us feel worse about ourselves.
The aim is not to give up the internet. It is to notice how you feel, choose how you spend your time, and ask for help when something weighs on you.
Signs it may be time for a break
- feeling anxious, low or angry after scrolling
- staying up late to keep scrolling or gaming
- losing interest in things you used to enjoy
- skipping meals, study or sleep for screens
- comparing yourself with other people all the time
- feeling worse when you cannot check your phone
Quick steps: three habits that help
Three small habits make a big difference.
Notice how you feel
After you use an app, ask yourself: do I feel better or worse? Spend less time on the things that leave you feeling worse.
Set boundaries
Pick screen-free times, such as meals and the hour before bed. Use a timer or your phone’s screen-time tool to keep to your limits.
Balance with real life
Make time for sport, hobbies, friends and family offline, and for rest.
Start here
Five short guides. Open one to read it.
- Decide on clear time limits for different activities, such as games, videos and social media, and keep to them. A timer or your phone’s screen-time tool can help.
- Choose screen-free times, such as meals, homework and the hour before bed. Charge phones outside the bedroom if you can.
- Turn off notifications you do not need, so that your phone stops calling you back.
- Plan offline time that you look forward to: sport, music, art, cooking, time outdoors and time with friends and family.
- Take regular breaks to stretch, drink water and look away from the screen.
- Notice how you feel after you use an app. If it often leaves you sad, angry or jealous, spend less time there.
- Mute or unfollow accounts that make you feel bad. You do not owe anyone your attention.
- Remember that people usually post their best moments, and that photos are often edited.
- Take a break after upsetting news or videos, and talk about what you saw with someone you trust.
- Be kind online. A kind comment or message can make someone’s day.
If you are being bullied, insulted or threatened, it is not your fault. Block or mute the person, save screenshots, and tell someone you trust. Read Online harassment and cyberbullying for step-by-step help.
- Set an example. Children copy what adults do with their phones.
- Agree on family rules together, including screen-free times and places.
- Ask what they enjoy online and how it makes them feel, without judging.
- Watch for changes in sleep, mood, appetite, school results or friendships.
- Stay calm and curious. Taking a device away in anger can end the conversation.
- If you are worried about heavy use, talk about it kindly. Look for support if it keeps affecting their health, school or family life.
It is okay to ask for help if screens are affecting your sleep, schoolwork or mood, if you feel low, worried or alone, or if something that happened online keeps upsetting you.
- Talk to someone you trust: a parent, teacher, relative or friend.
- You can call APLE’s free, confidential hotline on 092 311 511 (24/7) or get support online. A trained team member will listen and help you decide what to do next.
- If you feel you might hurt yourself, or you are in danger, tell an adult near you right now or go to the nearest health centre or hospital.
Need someone to talk to?
You do not need to have the answers. A trained APLE team member will listen, free of charge and in confidence.
More from APLE
Source: ideas adapted by APLE from The Digital Wellbeing Toolkit (Cybersmile and BetterHelp). Rewritten in our own words for readers in Cambodia; changes were made. This topic also builds on the healthy screen time section of APLE’s own guide, Keeping Safe Online.
Digital wellbeing
digital wellbeing, screen time, mental health, sleep, social media, gaming, addiction, balance, notifications, anxiety, mood, healthy habits, comparison, break, feeling okay online
Keeping case information safe
For professionals who work with children and families. How to protect the details of children, survivors and cases on your phone, in your chats, in your files and in your conversations.
Why this matters
People trust professionals with the most private details of their lives. If a case file, a photo or a chat leaks, a child can face more harm, shame or revenge, and trust in the whole service suffers.
Most leaks are ordinary: a message sent to the wrong group, a phone left unlocked, a shared password, an attachment sent to the wrong person, a photo kept on a personal phone. Clear habits and simple rules prevent most of them.
A leak of case information can mean…
- a child or family being identified or found
- fear and shame for survivors
- offenders learning about an investigation
- harm to witnesses, families and staff
- loss of trust in your organisation
- a breach of safeguarding and data protection duties
Quick steps: three habits that help
Three habits that every colleague can follow.
Share the minimum
Share only what each person needs to know. Use initials or case numbers instead of names, and keep identifying details out of chat messages and email subject lines.
Use work tools only
Keep case information on approved, protected accounts and devices, not in personal chats, personal email or public cloud folders.
Lock, update, report
Lock every device, keep software updated, and report a lost phone or a message sent to the wrong person at once. Quick reporting limits harm.
Start here
Five short guides for staff, volunteers and partners. Open one to read it. Always follow your own organisation’s policies first.
You cannot protect everything equally. Ask five questions about each kind of information you hold:
- What are we protecting? For example a child’s name, school, address, statement or photo.
- Who might want it? An offender, a curious person, or someone who wants to harm a child or a worker.
- How could it get out? A lost phone, a hacked account, a wrong recipient, a group chat, a printed page.
- What is the worst that could happen? This tells you how strong the protection needs to be.
- What is the simplest protection? A lock, a password, a smaller group, or not keeping the detail at all.
Write the answers down and share them with your team. Review them when something changes.
- Use a unique password for every work account, kept in a password manager approved by your organisation.
- Turn on two-step login for work email, files, case systems and social media accounts, with an authenticator app where possible.
- Lock devices with a PIN or fingerprint, keep device encryption on, and keep software updated.
- Set up “find my device”, so that a lost phone can be locked or erased.
- Keep work and personal accounts separate. Do not let family or friends use a work device.
- Use only organisation-approved apps and storage for case information.
- Do not share one login between several people. Remove access as soon as someone leaves or changes role.
See also Securing your accounts and devices.
- Prefer end-to-end encrypted apps for sensitive conversations, where your organisation’s rules allow it.
- Keep names and case details out of large group chats, and check who is in a group before you write.
- Check the recipient before you press send, and use blind copy when you write to several outside contacts.
- Do not discuss cases in public places, on speakerphone or on public Wi-Fi.
- Ask each survivor, child or family how it is safe to reach them: which number, which times, whether anyone else can see their phone, and whether voice messages are safe.
- Confirm unusual requests, such as a sudden change of bank details or a request for a file, by calling a number you already know.
- Never post photos, stories or details that could identify a child or a survivor.
- Do not collect, keep, share or forward sexual images of children. Doing so can be a crime. Write down the web address, account name and date, and report it to the APLE hotline or the police.
- Take photos of children only when your organisation’s rules allow it and with proper consent, and keep them off personal phones and personal cloud accounts.
- Record observations and evidence the way your organisation and the law require, and store them in approved systems.
- Delete copies from personal devices, chats and download folders when you no longer need them.
See also APLE’s Child Protection Policy.
- Act at once. Tell your supervisor or safeguarding lead. Do not wait until you are sure.
- Contain it. Recall or delete the message if you can, remove access, lock or erase a lost device, and change passwords.
- Work out who could be harmed, and what they need: a warning, support, or a move to a safer place.
- Inform the people affected and the right authorities, in line with your policies and the law.
- Write down what happened, and learn from it so that it is less likely to happen again.
See If something goes wrong, and where to report for the personal steps.
More from APLE
Written by APLE from general good practice in data protection and child safeguarding. Further reading in English, recommended by the Internet Society hub: Cybersecurity Toolkit for Mission-Based Organizations (Global Cyber Alliance), Surveillance Self-Defense (Electronic Frontier Foundation) and Confidentiality Toolkit (NNEDV). Your organisation’s own policies come first.
Case information
confidentiality, case information, data protection, safeguarding, child protection professionals, social workers, law enforcement, justice professionals, victim information, privacy, secure communication, evidence, photos of children, data breach, incident
Working from home safely
For staff, volunteers and partners who work from home or from a shared space. Simple ways to keep your work, your colleagues and the people you serve safe online.
Why this matters
At home you are your own IT team. Home networks, shared devices and family routines can expose work information that would be safe in the office. Criminals know this, and fake messages that copy bosses, partners and donors are common.
A few habits protect your work, your organisation and the people whose information you hold.
Working from home can expose…
- confidential calls overheard by a smart speaker, or by family
- work files saved on a personal or shared computer
- passwords reused across work and personal accounts
- a home Wi-Fi that still has its default password
- fake “boss” or “partner” messages asking for urgent payments
- lost or stolen devices that hold work data
Quick steps: three habits that help
Start with these three. They fit into any workday.
Separate work and home
Use work accounts and approved tools for work. Do not let family members use work devices, and keep work files out of personal chats.
Lock and update
Lock your screen when you step away, and install updates in the morning, at lunch or after work instead of postponing them.
Back up, and check requests
Back up important files to approved storage. If a message asks for money or data in a hurry, call the person on a number you already know.
Start here
Five short guides. Open one to read it.
- Smart speakers and voice assistants listen for a wake word. Switch them off, or move them to another room, during confidential calls, and delete saved recordings.
- Take work calls where family and neighbours cannot hear, and use headphones for sensitive conversations.
- Lock your screen when you step away, and do not leave printed papers on the table.
- Avoid confidential calls in cafés and other public places.
- Use a different password for every work system, kept in a password manager.
- Turn on two-step login wherever it is offered. An authenticator app is better than a text message, and a physical security key is stronger still.
- If a text message is your only choice, ask your mobile company whether you can add a PIN to your SIM card to protect against “SIM swap” attacks.
See also Securing your accounts and devices.
- Choose work tools with strong encryption, ideally end-to-end encryption for sensitive talks. Read the privacy and security pages of a tool before you adopt it.
- Change the default password of your home Wi-Fi, use the strongest security setting (WPA2 or WPA3) and put visitors on a guest network.
- Use your organisation’s VPN if it has one. If you choose your own, pick a well-known service, because free VPNs often earn money from your data.
- Keep your phone, tablet and laptop encrypted and locked.
- Install updates when they appear. They fix security flaws. A good time is while you get ready in the morning, at lunch, or after work.
- Back up your work files regularly to storage approved by your organisation. A backup is your best protection against ransomware, which locks your files until you pay.
- Check now and then that you can restore from the backup.
- Be careful with messages that copy your boss, a partner or a donor and ask for urgent money, gift cards or a change of bank details.
- Check the sender’s real address, and confirm by phone using a number you already know.
- Do not open unexpected attachments or tap links in unexpected messages.
- Report suspicious messages to your IT contact or manager, even if you are not sure. See Online scams and how to avoid them.
More from APLE
Source: adapted by APLE from Working From Home: Seven Easy Ways to Keep You and Your Workplace Safe Online (Internet Society, licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). Rewritten in our own words for readers in Cambodia; changes were made.
Working from home
working from home, remote work, home office, work security, VPN, Wi-Fi, ransomware, backup, phishing, fake boss, smart speaker, staff, volunteers, partners, cybersecurity
Tech safety when someone watches or controls you
Sometimes the person who is hurting or controlling you can see your phone, your accounts or your location. Here are the warning signs, and why safety planning must come first.
If someone might check your phone or your browsing history, read this on a safer device or in a private window.
Why this matters
Technology can be used to watch, track and control a person: following a phone’s location, reading messages, logging in to accounts, using hidden cameras or spyware, or posting private information. It often comes from someone close, such as a partner, an ex-partner, a family member or a person with power over you.
If you suspect this, trust your instincts. The usual advice, such as changing passwords or deleting an app, can make a controlling person angry if they notice that they have lost access. Planning first can keep you safer.
Warning signs
- the person knows things they should not know, such as where you are or who you talk to
- they turn up where you did not tell them you would be
- your accounts show logins or messages that you did not make
- your phone’s battery drains quickly, or data use suddenly jumps
- you find apps that you do not remember installing
- they demand your passwords or to check your phone, or they gave you a device you did not choose
Quick steps: three habits that help
If you think you are being watched, start with these three. Take your time.
Plan before you change
Before you remove an app, a tracker or an account, think about how the person may react. Talk to a trusted person or a support service first.
Use a safer device
To ask for help and to change passwords, use a phone or computer that the person has never had access to, such as a friend’s phone or a library computer.
Get support
Contact someone trained to help. For children and young people, call APLE’s hotline on 092 311 511. Say whether it is safe to call you back.
Start here
Five short guides. Open one to read it.
Think about what the person knows, and where. The pattern can point to the source.
- They only know what happens in one room. There may be a camera or a recorder there.
- They only find you when you travel in one vehicle. A tracker may be hidden in it.
- They know where you are everywhere. It may be something you carry: your phone, or a tracker in a bag.
- They seem to read your messages or see your accounts. Someone may know your password, or an app may be on your phone.
Other signs: unknown apps, a battery that drains fast, a sudden rise in data use, location sharing that you did not turn on, a shared family or cloud account, and gifts such as phones, toys or cameras from the person.
- Put safety first. Use a safer device, talk to a support service, and trust your instincts.
- Plan around the technology. Throwing away a device, deleting an app or closing an account may anger a controlling person who feels they have lost access. Some people keep using the watched device as usual, and use a safer device for private matters.
- Write down what happens. Dates, screenshots and details can show a pattern and help you plan. Save them somewhere the person cannot reach.
- Report when you are ready. You can report to the police and to the app or website. Save the evidence first, because content may disappear once it is reported.
If it involves sexual images, or a child, do not save or forward the pictures. Report it to APLE.
- Change passwords and usernames from a safer device, and do not sign in to those accounts from a device you think is being watched.
- Consider a new email address that does not use your real name, and do not link it to your old accounts or numbers.
- Check privacy settings and connected devices. Turn off Bluetooth when you do not use it, and delete apps you do not know or do not use.
- If you suspect the phone itself is being watched, a new phone with a new account may be the safest choice. A cheap prepaid phone is an option. Put a passcode on it, and do not link it to the old cloud account. You may keep the old phone in normal use so that the person does not realise.
- Give out as little personal information as you can, and ask friends and family not to share your address.
- Location. Check whether location sharing is on in your phone, your apps and your accounts. Ask your mobile company whether any location service is active, especially if you share a family plan with the person. Vehicles can have trackers or location services too, and a trusted professional such as a mechanic may be able to check.
- Cameras and microphones. Hidden devices, gifts, webcams, smart speakers and security systems can be misused. Change passwords and settings on everyday devices, and cover a webcam when you are not using it.
- Before you remove anything, make a safety plan and keep a record, because the person may notice and react.
- Believe them, and do not blame them. Do not tell them to “just delete everything”.
- Help them make a plan before they change anything, and help them use a safer device.
- Ask how it is safe to contact them: which number, which times, and whether anyone else can see their phone or messages.
- Keep what they tell you confidential.
- Connect them with a specialist service. For children and young people, contact APLE’s hotline on 092 311 511, or read about victim support and assistance.
You are not alone, and it is not your fault
If you are a child or young person, or you are worried about one, APLE’s trained team is here day and night. Calls and chats are free and confidential. If a child is in immediate danger, call the national police hotline on 1288 or contact your local police for help.
More from APLE
Source: ideas adapted by APLE from Technology Safety Plan: A Guide for Survivors and Advocates (NNEDV Safety Net Project). Rewritten in our own words for readers in Cambodia; changes were made. The phone numbers in that guide are for the United States and do not apply in Cambodia.
Tech safety and abuse
stalking, stalkerware, spyware, tracking, location, monitoring, controlling, abuse, domestic violence, coercive control, hidden camera, GPS tracker, safety plan, safe device, harassment, ex-partner, survivors