“What’s the story on the fast exit button on your website?I’ve noticed it hanging around on every page. ” -Amy W., Miami
Domestic and dating abuse is deeply isolating. Escape feels impossible. Victims’ sense that their every move is being watched and judged and punished.
For lots of our past and current clients, the decision to get help is a serious risk to their safety and the safety of their friends or families. That pink button on the upper-left hand corner of our site protects victims from more harm as they figure out their escape. Once you click on it, you are quickly rerouted to your local weather report. Its purpose is simple and powerful – it offers an immediate exit in case someone needing us knows that just browsing the resources on our site will trigger their abuser because abusers are control freak assholes who fly off the handle if they know their dominance over their partner is diminishing.
But suddenly X’ing out of Internet browser might arouse suspicion from the abuser and more violent behavior. By replacing our own website with a neutral one, victims have a better chance at diverting the abuser’s suspicion, especially if he’s quickly approaching.
We aren’t the first to do this. Lawyers, social workers, therapists, and other heroic allies of the anti-domestic violence/dating abuse movement have placed quick exit buttons on their online resources for decades now. We’re proud to be among them.
Above all, we take privacy very seriously at the firm, and we will always make sure that coming to us is a safe and empowering move.
Keep Calm and Carrie On is a Q&A series where Carrie answers your questions on digital privacy, entrepreneurship, how to write the perfect email, Silicon Valley, travel, or whatever else you want her take on! Have something you’ve been wanting to ask CG? Click here to submit a question.
