Off the back of the tragic events that have occurred in the UK, I wanted to make a post about a few online security tips. This incident is not the first time a man has killed innocent people because he cannot get women, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. We need to ensure that we are taking precautions to protect our anonymity online.

  1. Do not give out your location or clues as to where you live. This includes commenting on posts saying “this happened in my city!” Congrats, sis. You’ve just told a potential scrote who means no good where you live.

  2. Create an account solely for FDS. Not only will this avoid you getting banned by many other subreddits, but it will be much harder to piece together information about your life if you have multiple accounts for different uses.

  3. Avoid posting pictures, but if you do ensure you strip the metadata. If posting screenshots, remove all identifying info (this is in the subreddit rules, and failure to do this may result in a ban).

  4. Fudge the details of stories. Don’t tell stories exactly as they happened. So if something happened two years ago, say it happened five years ago. If you were in a relationship for 3 years, say you were together for 5 years. Stuff like that. A Russian proverb says that “a lie is best concealed between two truths”. If you work in finance, say you’re an artist. Be smart with your storytelling to avoid inadvertently giving out identifying info.

  5. DO NOT DISCUSS FDS WITH MEN. Even if you think you have found the greatest of men, treat FDS like fight club. Don’t tell men about your FDS Reddit account.

  6. Do not arrange to meet up with anyone from this subreddit. As much as we would love to have in-person meets, events like what happened in Plymouth are a good example of why it’s just not a good idea.

  7. Consider joining the Discord or the website. Everyone on those platforms has to undergo a robust verification process before they can post, so they are safer spaces.

Feel free to add your own tips below!

Stay safe, ladies.