The Gift of Fear
~ By Gavin de Becker
Listen To Your Intuition
A carjacker lurking in a shopping mall parking lot. An abusive husband pounding on the door. A disgruntled employee brandishing a gun. These days, no one is safe from the specter of violence. But according to Gavin de Becker, everyone can feel safer, act safer, be safer — if they learn how to listen to their own sixth sense about danger.
De Becker has made a career of protecting people and predicting violent behavior. His firm handles security for many of the leading figures in Hollywood and Silicon Valley, and his computerized risk-assessment system helps analyze threats to members of Congress and the Supreme Court. Now, in this unprecedented guide, de Becker shares his expertise with everyone. Covering all the dangerous situations people typically face — street crime, domestic abuse, violence in the workplace — de Becker provides real-life examples and offers specific advice on restraining orders, self-defense, and more. But the key to self-protection, he demonstrates, is learning how to trust our own intuitions. For everyone who's ever felt threatened, this book is essential reading.
Self Defense Keychains
Keep It Simple!
Do you believe it would be better to have a few simple tools or carrying countless tools that you will struggle trying to use in a stressful situation? A simple lined keychain with useful tools can be very helpful in protecting yourself if you know how to use them.
Ask yourself these questions before you leave a place of Safety:
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Do you need a key for where you are going?
✓ Have your keys in hand. Panic button ready.
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Is it dark?
✓ Have a flashlight and turn it on before leaving the location.
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If something happens are you ready to draw attention to yourself? What if an attacker muffles you by covering your mouth?
✓ Have an alarm on hand that can draw attention.
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Do you have something you can use as a weapon to defend yourself? Can you carry it into any location?
✓ A tool that can be carried into any location is the Munio. It is a great self-defense tool that can even have captivating art.
Emergency SOS Cell Phone Notifications
iPhone
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Android
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Secure Your Cell Phone Lock Screen
iPhone
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Android
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AirDrop & Nearby Share - Contacts Only
iPhone
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Android
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AirTags
Are You Being Tracked?
When the AirTag launched in 2021, Apple’s Bluetooth tracker with ultra-wideband was lauded as a step toward the future of augmented reality and a great way to find everyday objects, like your lost TV remote. Cybersecurity experts expressed concern that the tracking device would be exploited by stalkers.
The warnings were prescient; multiple women reported frightening encounters where AirTags were used as stalking devices that could be slipped in a purse or taped to a car. Police departments across the United States issued warnings about the potential criminal uses of AirTags. Newer AirPods have tracking abilities similar to AirTags, but the higher cost of Apple’s earbuds limits their disposability as a tracking device.
Apple released firmware updates late in 2022 in an effort to curb misuse. Even though Tile and other competitors to the AirTag exist, the vastness of Apple’s ecosystem sets the device apart. From the US Drug Enforcement Administration using it to track international drug shipments to a man in Texas using it to find his stolen car and kill the suspect, AirTags are everywhere.
iPhone
Owners of iPhones running iOS 14.5 or newer should receive a push alert whenever an unknown AirTag is nearby for an extended period of time and away from its owner. Apple’s website does not provide an exact time frame for when this alert is triggered.
Owners of newer iPhones should turn on Bluetooth and check their settings to ensure they’ll receive notifications.
How To:
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Go to Settings
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Go to Privacy & Security
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Go to Location Services
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Toggle Location Services on
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Scroll to the bottom of that page and tap on System Services
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Activate Find My iPhone.
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Go to the Find My app
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Go to Me in the bottom right corner
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Got to Customize Tracking Notifications to double-check that notifications are enabled.
Note: Reference pictures were taken from an iPhone running iOS 17.
When you click on the iPhone alert for an unrecognized AirTag, you may be given the option to play a sound on the AirTag to help locate it. If your iPhone runs iOS 16.2 or later, you might be able to use precision location data to find the hidden device.
Android
Months after the release of the AirTag, Apple launched the Tracker Detect app for Android phones, where users had to initiate the scan. More recently, Google started rolling out automatic smartphone alerts for unknown bluetooth trackers, similar to what iPhone owners receive. The alerts will be available on smartphones running at least Android 6.0.
Social Media Sharing
Never Post Your Location
Never post your location to social media where it is visible to the public. People with bad intentions can use this to target you personally or to coordinate a robbery.
This does not apply to secure location sharing technology such as Apples Find My and Androids Life360, but you need to limit who has access to your location this way to trusted people only.
Protect Your Kids
Any information you post can be used by people with bad intentions to target your kids.
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Only post information and pictures of your children privately.
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Avoid posing information about your children's school and teacher publicly.
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Avoid posting where your child will be in the future.
Disclaimer
The resources in this section are designed for individuals to get ideas of additional actions they can take to potentially defend themselves from external threats. The American Institute of Kenpo (AIK) and Smart Girl Self Defense™ cannot guarantee the safety of any individual. It is each individual's responsibility to take actions and make decisions that will best protect them.