In 2025, digital safety isn’t a luxury—it’s a survival strategy.
For many transgender individuals, simply existing online comes with risks. From harassment and doxxing to surveillance by state actors and corporate data brokers, our digital footprints can be used against us. The growing wave of anti-trans legislation and tech-fueled discrimination has only made it more urgent to protect ourselves and those we love.
This guide is designed to help trans people, their families, and allies better understand what it means to disappear digitally—and how to take meaningful steps toward reclaiming privacy in an increasingly hostile online environment.
What Does It Mean to “Disappear” Digitally?
First, let’s clarify: this isn’t about deleting everything and living off the grid (though you can go that route if needed). “Disappearing digitally” means minimizing your online exposure, reducing your data footprint, and protecting your identity from unwanted tracking, targeting, or discovery.
It’s about:
- Gaining control over what people can find about you online.
- Using privacy-first tools and encrypted communication.
- Staying safer from harassment, blackmail, or political targeting.
Whether you’re starting HRT in a red state or just need a clean break from toxic digital spaces, these steps will help.
Audit Your Online Presence
Before you can clean up your digital presence, you need to know what’s already out there. Think of this step as reconnaissance—gathering intel on the traces you’ve left behind. It’s common for old usernames, half-forgotten blogs, and ancient MySpace accounts to resurface in unexpected ways. Even photos you didn’t post yourself might still be floating around, tagged by others or indexed by search engines
Start by Googling yourself. Use multiple search engines (Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo) and image search features. Search under:
- Your legal name
- Past usernames or aliases
- Old email addresses
- Any associated accounts
What shows up might surprise you. Take screenshots for your records. Then, begin the cleanup process:
- Delete old accounts with tools like JustDelete.Me or AccountKiller
- Remove outdated or personal photos from social media
- Un-tag yourself in posts on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn
- Use Google’s Remove Outdated Content Tool to request deletion from search results
This audit isn’t just about digital hygiene—it’s the first step toward reclaiming control over your personal narrative. Once you’ve taken stock of what’s publicly accessible, it’s time to move into lockdown mode.
Lock Down Social Media or Leave It Entirely
Social media is both a lifeline and a liability—especially for trans individuals navigating public scrutiny, political threats, or personal transitions. These platforms can offer connection, visibility, and community, but they can also expose you to harassment, doxxing, surveillance, or being outed without your consent. Whether you’re using social media to advocate, to stay connected, or simply out of habit, it’s crucial to evaluate what you share, who has access, and how it could be used.
If you’re not ready to leave entirely, at least:
- Set all accounts to private
- Remove unnecessary personal details (birthdays, locations, employer info)
- Unfriend or unfollow connections you no longer trust
- Turn off facial recognition (Facebook and Instagram both have this option)
- Disable geotagging and location sharing
For those ready to cut ties:
- Use a fake name to create a burner account for staying updated on trusted orgs
- Save essential contacts and deactivate your old account rather than delete it outright (some platforms store deleted accounts permanently)
Taking control of your social media presence can feel like a digital detox—and in many ways, it is. Once you’ve cleaned house on social platforms, you’re ready to shift into the next layer of protection: building a new digital identity rooted in privacy, pseudonyms, and separation from your past data trail.
Use a Pseudonym for Future Accounts
For many transgender people, using a chosen name online isn’t just a preference—it’s a form of survival, safety, and identity affirmation. Long before legal documents reflect who we truly are, our usernames, bios, and email signatures become a reflection of the lives we’re building for ourselves. But in today’s hostile digital landscape, using a pseudonym isn’t only affirming—it’s essential.
If you’re setting up a new account on social media, a message board, or any other platform, think of your pseudonym as armor. It creates distance between your online self and any records, data brokers, or trolls who might try to trace that identity back to you. And while it might seem like a small detail, choosing a different email and username can make a world of difference in digital safety.
When signing up for new accounts:
- Use a pseudonym and separate email address
- Don’t link it to your phone number or legal identity
- Never reuse usernames from past accounts if you’re trying to disassociate
Pro tip: Check username availability across platforms with Namecheckr.com before locking one in.
Transitioning into a safer digital life isn’t just about cutting ties with the past—it’s about building something new. And to do that securely, your communications need to be protected. Once you’ve created your pseudonymous presence, the next step is to ensure your conversations and connections are just as private.
Switch to Encrypted Communication Tools
Communication is one of the most vulnerable aspects of our digital lives. Every message, email, and call—unless properly protected—can be intercepted, analyzed, or stored indefinitely by tech corporations or third parties. For trans individuals, especially those navigating unsafe family dynamics, legal uncertainties, or activist work, using unencrypted platforms can expose sensitive information that puts you at risk.
Big Tech reads your messages. Meta, Apple, and Google all mine data from unencrypted communications to build behavioral profiles and feed targeted advertising algorithms. Worse, unprotected messages can be accessed through data requests or surveillance tools. If privacy matters, it’s time to move to encrypted communication.
- Use Signal for texting and calls (it’s free and fully encrypted)
- Try Session or Element for total anonymity
- Avoid SMS for sensitive conversations—texts can be subpoenaed or intercepted
For email:
- Switch to Proton Mail, Tutanota, or Skiff
- Use burner emails for risky logins or subscriptions
These tools won’t just protect your identity—they’ll give you peace of mind that your messages aren’t being read, logged, or leaked.
Once your conversations are secure, the next step is making sure your entire internet experience is just as private. That’s where VPNs and privacy-first browsers come in.
Use a VPN and Privacy Browser
Once your communication is secured, the next step is protecting everything else you do online. Your ISP, advertisers, and even governments can track your browsing habits, collect metadata, and build profiles based on your behavior. This data can then be used to target you with ads, bias algorithms against you, or worse—flag your activity for political or ideological reasons.
A virtual private network (VPN) and privacy-focused browser are two essential tools for shielding your identity and data while navigating the internet. Together, they help obscure your location, mask your traffic, and reduce the amount of information available to third parties.
We recommend:
- Mullvad (doesn’t even require an email)
- ProtonVPN (bundles with Proton Mail)
For browsing:
- Use Brave or Firefox with privacy extensions (like uBlock Origin, Privacy Badger, and HTTPS Everywhere)
- Consider Tor for extra anonymity
Next, let’s talk about how to reduce your reliance on Big Tech entirely. Even if you’re using a VPN, Google and similar companies still collect massive amounts of data unless you intentionally opt out. That’s where de-Googling your life comes in—a process that empowers you to replace mainstream tools with more private alternatives.
De-Google Your Life
Google has its tendrils in nearly every part of our digital lives. From email and web searches to maps and cloud storage, it’s the default for many—but that default comes with a cost. Google collects staggering amounts of personal data and uses it to build detailed profiles that can be sold, shared, or exposed. For trans people navigating transition, legal risk, or family estrangement, that level of surveillance isn’t just creepy—it’s dangerous.
If you want to take back control, reducing your reliance on Google is one of the most impactful steps you can take. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Even partial shifts can increase your safety and lower your digital profile.
Here are some starting points to replace the major Google tools with more privacy-respecting alternatives:
- Gmail → Proton Mail or Tutanota
- Google Search → DuckDuckGo or StartPage
- Chrome → Brave or Firefox
- Google Drive → Skiff or CryptPad
Use Nitter and Invidious to browse Twitter and YouTube anonymously.
Transitioning away from Google isn’t just about tech—it’s about reclaiming your autonomy. Once you’ve swapped out these tools, the next step is securing the devices you use them on. No amount of private browsing will matter if your phone or laptop isn’t secure.
Secure Your Devices
Your devices are the front doors to your digital life. If someone gains access to your phone or laptop, they could potentially uncover personal messages, account credentials, and sensitive documents that compromise your safety. This is especially critical for transgender individuals navigating hostile environments, unsupportive households, or public scrutiny. Securing your hardware is just as important as protecting your online accounts—because even the best digital hygiene can be undone by an unlocked screen.
Here are the essential steps to secure your devices:
- Enable full-disk encryption on your phone and computer
- Use strong, unique passwords with a manager like Bitwarden
- Turn off biometric logins (like face unlock or fingerprint)
- Keep operating systems up to date
- Set devices to auto-wipe after several failed login attempts
Digital security doesn’t stop at your devices—it extends to how your personal data is sold and shared without your consent. Next, let’s tackle one of the biggest threats to your anonymity: data brokers.
Opt Out of Data Brokers
Data brokers are the invisible middlemen of the internet. They collect, package, and sell your personal information to virtually anyone—advertisers, political campaigns, corporate marketers, and sometimes even malicious actors. For trans individuals, this isn’t just annoying—it’s dangerous. Having your legal name, former addresses, or even family details show up in public databases can put your safety, privacy, and peace of mind at risk.
These companies often gather data from public records, old online forms, scraped social media profiles, and commercial partnerships. You never consented to be listed—and yet here you are. The good news? You can fight back by removing yourself.
Use tools like:
- DeleteMe
- Kanary
- Incogni
Or go the DIY route and submit opt-out requests directly to brokers like Whitepages, Spokeo, BeenVerified, and Intelius. It’s a repetitive and often frustrating process—but each removal is one step closer to digital invisibility.
Rebuild a Safer, Smaller Digital Footprint
Once you’ve cleaned up your digital past, the next step is just as important: rebuilding your presence with intention. This doesn’t mean you need to disappear completely or live in fear of the internet. Instead, it’s about creating an online identity that’s truly yours—one that honors your safety, your chosen name, and your right to exist without scrutiny. Whether you’re navigating transition, seeking support, or simply want more control over who sees what, rebuilding from the ground up gives you the power to start fresh.
Use this opportunity to align your online self with your real values, boundaries, and needs. You get to choose where you exist online—and more importantly, where you don’t.
Here are some steps you can take to create a leaner, safer, and more affirming digital presence:
- Use chosen name only
- Avoid platforms that require facial recognition or real names
- Use alt tech like Bluesky, Mastodon, Cohost, or Discord with trusted friends
- Avoid cross-posting personal details or linking accounts
Once you’ve established your new digital footprint, the next step is staying vigilant and proactive. Even the most secure digital identities can be compromised without ongoing care. In the next section, we’ll walk through how to protect yourself from doxxing, harassment, and other targeted attacks that disproportionately impact trans individuals online.
Protect Yourself From Doxxing and Harassment
Trans people are disproportionately targeted online, not just by random trolls but by organized hate campaigns, extremists, and even politically motivated actors. Doxxing—the release of personal information like home addresses, phone numbers, or workplaces—is a particularly vicious tactic. It can lead to real-world consequences, from job loss to stalking to physical danger. No one should have to live in fear for simply being who they are, but digital safety is now a critical layer of self-protection.
To protect yourself:
- Use pseudonyms in all activist or public-facing work
- Set your WHOIS domain info to private if you own a site
- Avoid sharing exact dates, locations, or routines
- Use a mail-forwarding service for online purchases
- Keep screenshots of all threats and harassment for reporting
Digital resilience also means emotional preparedness. Even when you’ve done everything “right,” it’s normal to feel anxious about being targeted. You’re not alone—and you’re not overreacting. Trans people have every right to protect themselves, to take up space online safely, and to push back against systems that make visibility feel dangerous.
The Bottom Line
Let’s be real: no one should have to do this. You shouldn’t need to learn opsec (operational security) just to exist safely. But today, being trans online can be risky, especially in certain states or family situations.
That said, disappearing doesn’t have to mean isolation. It can be an empowering act of control. A way to start fresh. A declaration that you deserve safety, privacy, and autonomy over how your story is told.
Your data belongs to you. Your name belongs to you. Your digital life is yours to shape.
Resources for Further Help
- EFF Surveillance Self-Defense
- Trans Lifeline Digital Security Guide
- Privacy Guides
- Mozilla’s Data Detox Kit
Stay safe. Stay powerful.
