Safety, security, and visibility
Changing your online presence
If you decide to disable or delete your FB account make sure you download your information AND transfer your photos. If you download your information you won't get your photos and videos.
Also, downloading your information does not download *all* of your information. It only goes back 6mo-1yr. FB isn't giving people access to their information like it appears it's doing.
So, when FaceBook announced putting anti-LGBTQIA+ policies into place I started thinking.
Do I want to stay on FB and be as visible as possible?
Can I protect my non-Cis/Straight friends?
Can I passively support such an organization?
Will I be safe staying?
When FB came out, in order to be easier for people to find… I put too much personal information in FB. At the time? There security protocols were stricter, safer. But I thought I knew better. But as policies changed I didn’t adapt.
Now FB has openly allied and aligned with the current administration. This means it is not out of the realm of possibility that Meta will also share posts made to even the most locked down account.
So, I have decided to removed my information from FB. And deactivating my account. I’m not sure if I am going to delete my account for two simple reasons. I want to maintain my contact with my nieces and sister’s family and that is primarily through a family group chat. I also want to maintain contact with my bio daughter. I’m am forming a relationship with her as adults and I don’t want to limit that.
But as I move to other social media I am balancing be visible to others while trying to be harder to trace. I’m not putting dates, addresses, or real names. I am sharing my names and handles with individuals personally. I’m also thinking about trying to find a way to mask my IP and change away from Google, who I have realized I have put too much trust into. For now I’m switching my browser to DuckDuckGo.
Why am I doing this complicated crap? Well, the administration and oligarchs are doing some seriously scary and illegal shit. I am feeling panicky with the greasy, electric car, please send him to Mars turd having access to the social security and government payroll systems. Those two systems have all of the details to not only mess up my life and if social security gets fucked I lose everything - income, food access, a place to live - everything.
But it is very, very important every community of minorities - LGBTQIA, BIPoC, women - every community needs to stay visible and active. People need to move from posting memes to sharing articles and ways to comment on legislation and call local, state, and national representatives.
So, for now if you choose there are other social media platforms and there are other ways to do what you do now but in safer, more secure, and untraceable ways. Even if you are not in the crosshairs right now know that any ally of any group that isn’t cis-het might be indirectly damaged. Please be safe.
-Your Rambling Auntie