If someone is monitoring your phone or computer, they may be able to see the websites you visit, including this one. This short guide shows you simple ways to browse more privately and to remove traces of your activity.

Leave this website immediately by using the Quick Exit button or pressing the Esc key.

Some safety notes

• No history can ever be erased with 100% certainty. Someone with direct access to your device, or spyware installed on it, may still see your activity even after you delete it. Chat to Sophia to learn more.
• The safest option is a device your partner does not check, a friend's phone, a computer at a library, a shelter, or your workplace.
• If you think spyware may be installed on your phone, a specialised phone shop or trusted technician, potentially also the police, can help you check. Acting on the device and checking it can be risky as the spyware might alert the person that installed it or they can see it in the data collected. A specialist can advise on safe ways to check the device without tipping the person off.

Private / incognito mode

This stops your browser from saving the pages you visit during that session. Turn it on before you visit a sensitive site.

Delete your browser history

If you have already visited a website normally, without incognito/private mode, you can remove the site entry from your history.

Tip: Deleting your entire history at once can look suspicious if someone checks it often. Where possible, open your history list and delete only the individual entries related to seeking support, leaving the rest of your history as it normally looks.
And remember: if you searched for this website in a search engine (like Google), also delete that entry from your search history, not just your browsing history (learn how to do that below).

Steps vary slightly by browser and device, but here are the basic steps.

To delete everything:

1. Open the browser's menu/settings (usually three dots or lines in a corner of the window, ⋮ or ≡).
2. Go to History (sometimes also directly Clear browsing data).
3. Select Clear browsing data (sometimes called Delete browsing data or Clear recent history).
4. Choose a time range (or "All time" to delete everything).
5. Check the box for Browsing history (and cookies/cache if you want).
6. Select Delete / Clear.

To delete only specific sites:

1. Open the browser's menu and go to History.
2. Find the entry you want to remove, check the box next to it.
3. Click the X, trash icon, or Remove/Delete button.

For more details or other browsers:

• Google Chrome
• Safari
• Microsoft Edge
• Firefox
• Opera
• Brave

Clearing your search history

If you searched for "sophia.chat" or similar terms on Google or another search engine before visiting the site, that search may also be saved separately from your browser history.

On Google (if you're signed in to a Google account):

1. Go to myactivity.google.com.
2. Find the search you want to remove.
3. Tap the three dots (⋮) next to it and select Delete.
4. To remove everything at once, use the Delete option at the top and choose a time range.

If you're not signed in, the search may only be stored in your browser history, deleting your browsing history (see above) should be enough to remove it.

Tip: As with browsing history, deleting only the specific search is less likely to be noticed than clearing everything.

Deleting conversations in WhatsApp

1. Open WhatsApp.
2. On the chat list, swipe left on the chat (iPhone) or tap and hold it (Android), then tap Delete Chat/the trash icon.

Note: Deleting a chat removes it from your phone, but if the conversation was backed up (iCloud or Google Drive), it may still exist in that backup. Consider turning off chat backup altogether, or deleting existing backups that may contain sensitive conversations.

A few extra tips

• Turn off "search suggestions" in your browser settings so past searches don't appear as you type.
• Turn off notifications from support apps, or use a discreet app name/icon if your device allows it.
• If it is safe to do so, use a password or passcode that others don’t know to lock your phone and computer, and change your current one if you already have one and someone you don't trust knows it.
• When in doubt, use a device your partner cannot access at all.