- The Rainbow E-Safe Association launches the SafeNet LGTBI+ Program, five free online courses on digital self-defense designed for LGTBIQ+ individuals and their allies, with no prior technical requirements.
- The modules cover everything from privacy and password management to metadata, digital harassment, doxing, stalkerware, sextortion, and the preservation of legally valid evidence in Spain.
- Each course lasts approximately one hour and can be completed at your own pace; they are available for free to anyone through rainbowesafe.com.
The Rainbow E-Safe Association has presented the SafeNet LGTBI+ Program, an online training composed of five digital self-defense courses specifically aimed at LGTBIQ+ individuals and their allies. The association justifies the program by stating that the forms of digital violence affecting this community—from the involuntary exposure of sexual orientation to coordinated harassment or surveillance via mobile—have particularities that conventional cybersecurity courses do not cover.
What is the SafeNet LGTBI+ Program?
SafeNet LGTBI+ is a free online training program consisting of five digital self-defense courses, designed by the Rainbow E-Safe Association specifically for LGTBIQ+ individuals and their allies. According to the association itself, it is not an adaptation of generic cybersecurity content, but a program built from scratch based on the specific digital risks faced by the community: the involuntary exposure of sexual orientation or gender identity, coordinated harassment, and surveillance via mobile phone, among others.
What courses does SafeNet LGTBI+ include?
The program is organized into five independent modules, each with an approximate duration of one hour and designed to be completed at your own pace, without the need to connect at a fixed time.
My Digital Self
The first module explains what trace we leave on the internet unknowingly and how to manage privacy on social media when living with different identities in different environments—a common situation for many LGTBIQ+ individuals who have not publicly disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity in all areas of their lives.
Digital Locks
The second course teaches how to create secure passwords, activate two-step verification, and encrypt sensitive conversations, without requiring any prior technical knowledge.
Fingerprint Detective
The third module addresses metadata: what information is hidden in a photo or document, and how to track and delete data that we prefer not to be accessible to third parties.
Threat Radar
It is the most specific course in the program: it covers digital harassment, doxing, stalkerware, and sextortion. It includes the ARCO Protocol (Alto, Registra, Controla, Obtén apoyo), a response protocol designed for risk situations that particularly affect the LGTBIQ+ community.
The Evidence Matters
The fifth and final module teaches how to capture and preserve digital evidence with legal validity in Spain, and how to report these incidents to the authorities and the platforms themselves.
What is the ARCO Protocol?
The ARCO Protocol is the response guide to digital risks that Rainbow E-Safe teaches in the fourth course of the program, Threat Radar. Its acronym summarizes four steps: Alto, Registra, Controla, and Obtén apoyo. The association presents it as a tool specifically designed for digital risk situations affecting the LGTBIQ+ community, such as coordinated harassment, doxing, or sextortion.
Why a specific cybersecurity program for LGTBIQ+ individuals?
Because, according to Rainbow E-Safe, conventional cybersecurity courses do not cover the particularities of the digital violence suffered by this group. The association points out three specific risks that justify a tailored approach: the involuntary exposure of sexual orientation or gender identity, coordinated harassment, and surveillance via mobile. These are situations that can have particularly serious consequences for individuals who have not publicly disclosed their identity in all contexts of their lives, or who live in hostile family, work, or social environments.
The presidency of the association summarizes the reason for the program as follows: “LGTBIQ+ individuals deserve digital security tools that understand their reality. SafeNet LGTBI+ is not generic adapted training: it is a program built from scratch thinking about the specific risks our community faces every day on the internet”, says Pablo Campos, president of the Rainbow E-Safe Association.
How to access the SafeNet LGTBI+ courses?
The five modules are available for free to anyone, through rainbowesafe.com. No prior technical knowledge is required to follow any of the courses, and each can be completed independently and at your own pace.
Frequently asked questions about SafeNet LGTBI+
What is SafeNet LGTBI+?
A program of five free online courses on digital self-defense, created by the Rainbow E-Safe Association for LGTBIQ+ individuals and their allies.
How long does each course last?
Approximately one hour, and can be completed at your own pace, without a fixed schedule.
Is it necessary to have technical knowledge to follow them?
No. The five modules are designed to be followed without prior technical requirements.
Are they free for anyone?
Yes. The five courses are free and open to anyone, without the need to be a member of Rainbow E-Safe. They can be accessed through rainbowesafe.com.
What topics does the Threat Radar course cover?
Digital harassment, doxing, stalkerware, and sextortion, and includes the ARCO Protocol (Alto, Registra, Controla, Obtén apoyo) to respond to risk situations.
What does the last course, The Evidence Matters, teach?
How to capture and preserve digital evidence with legal validity in Spain, and how to report to the authorities and the platforms.
