Thank you for reaching out to The Center at 909.  If this is an emergency, please call 911.  If you need to speak with an advocate immediately, please call our 24/7 crisis hotline 706.571.6010 or the RAINN National Hotline 800.656.HOPE (4673).  Before chatting online, please be aware that even though ResourceConnect is end-to-end encrypted there are always safety risks.  Please read below the following information about ResourceConnect online chat:

The ResourceConnect Web Chat is end-to-end encrypted. Thus, only you and the person you're chatting with can read the contents of the messages being sent. Even ResourceConnect staff are not able to read the contents of your messages, and thus would be unable to hand over any readable content in the event of a court order.

The contents of the messages do not get saved anywhere on the user's device. Unless the user has taken screenshots of their conversation, once the chatter closes their browser window or a message has hit its message expiration date, that message will be completely gone. Also, once a message has hit its message expiration date, or one of your users deletes it or the conversation it was used in, that message will be permanently removed from the ResourceConnect servers.

However, there are still some important safety risks to be aware of and warn the people who will use this service about...

First, there is no technology anywhere, and never will be, that can prevent information from being read on a device that has a virus, malware, spyware, etc installed on it. If a spyware or virus program is able to record keystrokes or take screenshots every X number of seconds, there's nothing that can be done to make this device safe.

If a person believes their device even has the potential to have been compromised, it is safer for them to use another device to communicate with The Center at 909 on ResourceConnect or call us (706.571.6010) from an unmonitored phone.

Second, you should be aware that an eavesdropper who is listening to the internet traffic of a ResourceConnect chatter will be able to see that the person is communicating with someone on ResourceConnect. They won't be able to see which provider they're talking to, but they will likely be able to put two-and-two together if they saw that the user was on your organization's webpage and then they were suddenly using ResourceConnect. Again, because ResourceConnect is end-to-end encrypted, anyone listening in on the internet traffic won't be able to see what is being said. They will only be able to see that something is being said. In certain situations, this could pose a risk. Usually, however, if a person is worried their internet connection could be monitored, they should also be concerned their device has also been compromised. Thus, they should not use ResourceConnect unless they can do so from another location.

Note that the mention of these security risks is not an indication that we believe ResourceConnect is not a safe form of communication. We are simply giving you all the information available for what risks are out there. If you get in the practice of identifying whether these risks apply to the person you're communicating with, then ResourceConnect can be a great tool for safely communicating with people in need.