Digital defense from PEN America 

PEN America, a nonprofit that celebrates and defends the written word in the US and internationally, offers an online abuse defense program to support and equip writers and journalists to stay safer online.

The program offers self-defense resources and training, collaborates with media organizations and publishers to better protect staff and freelancers, and conducts research and advocacy with social media companies. 

Below is a menu of the program’s resources. If you need support because online abuse has affected your ability to use your voice or pushed you out of online spaces, contact Viktorya Vilk (viktoryavilk@pen.org) and Jeje Mohamed (jmohamed@pen.org.)

 
Resources 

• What To Do If You're The Target Of Online Harassment (concise protocol for navigating abuse)  

• PEN America’s Field Manual for dealing with online abuse (in English, Spanish, and French):  

  • Abusive tactics 

  • How to prepare (including against hacking and doxing) 

  • How to respond (including assessing threats, blocking/muting/restricting, and documenting) 

  • Practicing self-care 

  • How to be an ally 

• Coalition for Online Violence Response Hub, a resource center for women journalists to find the latest information on online abuse and harassment  

• HeartMob, an online community helping those experiencing online harassment 

• TrollBusters provides support and guidance to journalists experience online abuse 

 
Advocacy 

PEN America is leading a campaign to #FightOnlineAbuseNOW that aims to change the conversation around online abuse, demand better tools from social media platforms, and support people facing online abuse, with a social media toolkit and an opportunity to retweet here.