Tips to browse safely online

Here you'll find some basic tips to protect your privacy and reduce the ability for people to see what you do online.

The 'Close this site' button

Some pages on this website include a 'Close this site' button. Use this button to quickly hide what you are looking at. You might find this helpful if someone comes into the room or looks over your shoulder and you don't want them to know what you've been looking at.

When you use the 'Close this site' button, it immediately closes this website and opens the Google search page in a new window.

You can also quickly close this site by using the ESC button on your computer keyboard. It immediately closes this website and opens the Google search page in a new window.

The 'Close this site' function doesn't delete your browser history. This means that if someone checks your browser history on your computer or mobile device, they will be able to see everything you looked at on our website.

Clear your browsing history regularly

Web browsers keep track of your online activity through your browser history, cookies and caching. This is so you can find websites you've visited before, but it also means other people can see this data.

To protect your privacy, it's a good idea to clear your browsing history regularly. You can choose to delete everything or only some things.

Find out how to clear your browsing history in:

For other browsers and devices, check the provider's website.

Use private browsing

Private browsing is an easy way to hide your browsing habits. If enabled, when you close your browser, all browsing history and stored cookies from future browsing sessions will automatically disappear.

However, the sites you visited during your current browsing session will record your browsing activity. Your internet service provider will also record this information. Any files you download using private browsing won't be deleted, so other people can access them if they use your device.

Find out how to enable private browsing in:

Internet Explorer
- In the 'Tools' menu (the cog icon on top right of the browser window), select 'Safety', then 'InPrivate Browsing'.
Google Chrome
Firefox
Safari
Safari on iPhones or iPads.

For other browsers and devices, check the provider's website.

Accounts and passwords

Don't let your browser auto-save your passwords. While the auto-save function may be convenient, it gives anyone who uses your device access to your accounts.

When you are using an account with a password (e.g. your social media or email account), always log out before leaving the website.

Using other computers and devices

If you are worried about someone looking at your internet use, consider using a computer or device that they can't access.

This might be a computer at your local library, your work computer, or a family or friend's device. But again, don't auto-save any passwords and make sure you log out of your accounts when you've finished using the computer.

This advice is from "Tips to browse safely online" by The State of Queensland.

The content is licensed under the CC BY 4.0 license.

Tell the NSW Government to stop delaying crucial child protection reforms

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Aboriginal children have the right to grow up safe and strong in their culture and community. Our kids deserve every chance to safely enjoy childhood in their own families, wrapped up in the love of their parents, aunties and uncles, siblings and grandparents.

Yet right now, the out-of-home care system is tearing Aboriginal children away from everything they know. In NSW, government authorities remove Aboriginal children from their homes at over 10 times the rate of non-Indigenous kids.

Compared to other kids, our children are taken away younger, they stay in the damaging out-of-home care system for longer, and they are less likely to be returned to their families. Many of them are torn away from their culture and community – robbed of key parts of their identity. This is in violation of their human rights.

The out-of-home care system causes irrevocable damage to the very children it claims to protect. Removing children from their home increases their risk of being imprisoned in juvenile detention. And despite the incredible strength of these young people, they are far more likely to experience homelessness and teen pregnancy than their peers – and then their own kids are likely to be taken away.

This is the reality for thousands of Aboriginal children in NSW right this moment. The system is broken – and our kids are paying the price. Will you add your name and help us urge the Government to act?

The good news is this: the NSW Government already has a report that shows the failings of the system and maps out how to fix it.

Led by Cobble Cobble woman Professor Megan Davis, the Family Is Culture review made 126 recommendations to reform the system for our kids. By doing things like strengthening self-determination, investing in family support services, and increasing public accountability and oversight, the NSW Government can prevent harm to future generations of Aboriginal children.

But the Government’s response has focused on business as usual. Too many of the changes our kids need have been sidelined, overlooked or watered down. While politicians drag their feet, our children suffer. And we’re not going to take it anymore.

Please sign your name to tell the NSW Government to stop ignoring the solutions right in front of them. The time for change is NOW.

Together, we can support Aboriginal children to grow up safe and loved where they belong – with family and in culture.

Want to know more about Family Is Culture? Visit the review website here: https://www.familyisculture.nsw.gov.au/