PHOX is Coming to Campus

In an age full of digital technology, college campuses are, unfortunately, seeing higher rates of cyber stalking than the general population. As many of us know, college campuses are hotspots of meeting new people, going new places and establishing a rock solid online presence. 

But how much effort do we put into protecting our digital identity? The answer is, probably not enough. Michele Garcia, director for the National Center for Victims of Crime’s Stalking Resource Center says, “The rates of stalking on college campuses are higher than in the general population; similar to the rates of sexual assault.” So should we take a few extra steps to protect ourselves? Yes. Do we have to go out of our way to do it? No.

PHOX is a mobile texting service that allows users to prevent unwanted people from having their real phone number. The service is making its way to the University of Oregon (and nationwide) in hopes of enabling students to protect themselves from potential stalkers.

The service is simple. It’s not an app so it won’t drain your data (you’re welcome, mom and dad) and it could make a huge difference in protecting your cyber identity. Simply sign up for the service and PHOX will assign a public phone to connect your texts to a person you just met (i.e. that cute boy you met at Taylor’s).

Now more than ever us collegiettes must be constantly aware of our surroundings, including people we give our numbers to. PHOX is here to help.

To learn more about PHOX and sign up, visit its website here: https://getphox.com/goducks

• cyber stalking
• safety