Online safety is a big part of todays world regardless of if you’re a spicy content creator or not. We all know the basic, never give out your passwords, don’t post sensitive data online. etc Today we’re going to go back over some steps you can take to protect your identity from your customers and potential predators. It’s always good to have this information in mind and some of our newer readers may have missed these back in December.
Stay Anonymous
In a previous blog we covered the importance of setting up different accounts from your personal social media. You probably don’t want your high school friends of grandma seeing that you make spicy content for unfiltrd, right? Create a pseudonym, a made up name, and use that same name across all of your platforms for your unfiltrd account. Along with your pseudonym, creator a persona that goes with the name. We covered creating a persona a bit in the Finding Your Niche blog if you need a refresher. Your persona should be consistent. If you’re the girl next door on instagram, you should exemplify that across all platforms.
Use a Separate Device
Most online sex workers will have a separate phone for posting content to their unfiltrd account, onlyfans, and social media accounts. This is for a couple of reasons: the new device wont have any of their regular contacts stored on it for social media to access and they have a different ip address on the new device. You ever notice how social media platforms, especially tiktok are always wanting to connect you with the contacts in your phone? Having a device that doesn’t have any contacts prevents you from accidentally doing so. You can also go into your settings on tiktok and uncheck the option for sync contacts, but it will still ask on a regular basis if you want to send something to someone in your phone or sync your contacts. Facebook and instagram will also recommend accounts to follow based on contacts in your device as well but they’re not as persistent as the clock app. On the IP address side of things, if one device does get banned from a platform such as tiktok, you can easily switch to the other device until the IP address updates on your other phone. Its a common myth that social media platforms can ban a device from the platform so that even if you get a new SIM card or ip address you still wouldnt be able to access the platform on that device. This is incorrect and here’s why: in order to ban a device like a cell phone or tablet, the platform would need to have your IMEI which is a type of serial number for your device. Only you, the owner of the device, the manufacturer and your service provider have access to this number. Platforms like tiktok and instagram do not have the tools required to get this number. So your device will never be banned. But your IP address will be as this is easily accessible information. If you dont have the funds to spend on a second device, dont worry about it. just make sure to turn off contact syncing across apps, and be alert when you get the requests to not accidentally allow it, and use a VPN
Use a VPN
ALWAYS ALWAYS USE A VPN. Purchasing a vpn service should be one of the first things you set up when getting into this industry. A VPN (virtual private network) is a service that creates a safe, encrypted online connection. Internet users may use a VPN to give themselves more privacy and anonymity online or circumvent geographic-based blocking and censorship. It also makes your IP address as though it’s coming from a location different than where you actually are. Express VPN is one of the best VPNs out there, you get five devices that can use the VPN at once for only $12.95 a month or less if you subscribe for a whole year.
Use Strong Passwords
So… I’m a little neurotic with my passwords. My passwords are usually 15+ characters long and will have the most random assortment of letters, numbers and special characters while still being something I can remember. You should aim to do the same with your passwords. Dont ever give anyone your passwords and if you need to, store them in a secure file such as a locked note on your phone or utilize your phones password manager.
Use Private Browsing
Utilize your incognito mode on your browser. Incognito mode runs in a separate tab from your normal tab. Private browsing or incognito mode doesn;t save your history, cookies, form data. Your location information may still be seen by the website, especially advertisers, so it’s still good to have your VPN active while using private browsing. You can learn more about incognito mode here
Watermark Your Content
Use editing apps like photoshop, inshot, or even Canva to add watermarks to your content. Watermarks should always be somewhere where they are not easily cropped out such as the middle of the image. You can adjust the opacity of the water mark in the program so that it doesn’t obstruct your image. Watermarks allow people to recognize the content as your own, even if people lift it and attempt to use it for their own purposes.
Regularly Search for Leaked Content
Unfiltrd’s security team already looks for leaked content for its content creators on popular leak sites. But it’s a small team and we’re an ever growing platform, so if you are taking the initiative to search out your leaked content you are still able to send a message to security to request they take the proper actions to have the content removed. Check out our blog on DCMA Takedowns to learn more about this process.
Dont Use Amazon Wishlists
This one is a less obvious. Unfiltrd had a security issue last year where a creator had an amazon wishlist linked to her account. A fan purchased an item off of her wishlist and within a day of it being delivered he requested a return of the item from amazon. Amazon provided him with the creators name and home address. He then spent weeks messaging her and even calling her place of business in regards to her online content. If you’re going to have a wishlist, use something like Throne which is a more secure way to wishlist, or have a PO Box linked to an amazon account specifically set up for this purpose. Have the PO Box in a city a couple of hours or more away from the town you actually live in.
Wrapping Up
Using these tips wont 100% ensure your safety online as there are always going to be bad actors online but they’ll be a huge help none the less. We regularly post security and privacy tips in our daily blog as new things come up. This months creator workshop will also have a heavy focus on security and privacy. If you have any questions or concerns, message security or support on Unfiltrd. See you tomorrow. Sara Lyn Chacon, Unfiltrd Staff.
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