Anyone researching a divorce, custody question, or family law topic may be doing so on a device someone else controls, watches, or pays the bill for. This article covers what is realistic to expect from a shared or monitored device, separate from the substantive legal content elsewhere in this library.
What browsing history does and does not hide
Clearing browser history removes entries from that browser's own list, but it does not necessarily remove other traces: a phone or internet provider's bill may show that a particular site was visited even if the browser history is cleared; a device with shared logins, family sharing, or remote monitoring software installed may sync or report activity regardless of local history; and a search bar's autocomplete or a browser's saved-password prompts can sometimes reveal a visit even to someone who never sees the browsing history list. Clearing history reliably prevents casual, in-person discovery (someone picking up the device and looking) more than it prevents monitoring built into the device or account itself.
Why "clear the history" can sometimes backfire
On a device that is already being monitored, a sudden gap in history, or a history-clearing event itself, can be noticed and can raise suspicion in a way that is its own safety concern. Where monitoring or control of a device is suspected rather than merely possible, using a different device entirely, such as a library computer, a trusted friend's device, or a workplace computer where personal browsing is permitted, is generally a more reliable option than trying to erase activity on a device someone else already watches.
What this library does, and does not, do
This library requires no account and no sign-in to read anything. It does not set marketing or behavioral tracking cookies before a visitor takes any action that would require them, and it does not ask for a name, email address, or any other identifying information as a condition of reading. A persistent quick-exit control is present on every page and immediately leaves for a neutral site; pressing the Escape key does the same thing from anywhere on the page.
If safety is an active, current concern
A direct safety page, reachable from every page in this library without needing to browse by topic, lists a national domestic violence hotline, a crisis line, and further guidance. It does not require reading anything else first.