In the moment, harassment is disorienting. A short checklist keeps you safe, preserves evidence, and pulls in support instead of leaving you to face it alone.
Stabilize and document
Don't argue with harassers. Prioritize safety, then evidence, then response.
- Screenshot posts, messages, usernames, timestamps, and URLs before they disappear.
- Save evidence somewhere off-platform (cloud folder, printed copies).
- Do not reply or retaliate — it fuels dogpiling.
- Mute or temporarily deactivate notifications, not your whole account.
Pull in help
You should not handle this alone. Employers, schools, and platforms have obligations to help.
- Tell your supervisor, security team, or department chair immediately.
- Report content to the platform and, for threats of violence, to law enforcement.
- Ask a trusted colleague to monitor your inboxes so you don't have to.
- If you're a student, ask your school about a FERPA block on directory info.
Support someone else
If a colleague is targeted, don't wait for them to ask.
- Offer to screenshot and log harassment on their behalf.
- Help audit and remove their public data (work bio, directory info).
- Reach out socially and offline — isolation makes harassment worse.
- Amplify their work, not the harassment.