Candidates and campaign staff face the complex challenge of managing both public and private online lives. As high-risk technology users, they encounter threats across both work and personal accounts.
While social media platforms offer a wide range of privacy and security settings, navigating them can be confusing and overwhelming. Additionally, these settings change over time, and many users don’t regularly review their configurations, leaving them uncertain about what information they’re sharing and how well their accounts are secured.
Recently, DDC welcomed a new technology partner: Block Party. Block Party helps users systematically review and update their privacy and security settings across multiple platforms. We’re excited to offer Block Party’s services for free to eligible campaigns because it simplifies the process of safeguarding your digital presence.
We sat down with Block Party’s founder, Tracy Chou, to discuss her journey in creating Block Party and how it serves a critical need for high-risk users.
Q: What inspired you to create Block Party?
A: The internet is deeply woven into our daily lives, enabling incredible opportunities—such as building movements, reaching voters, and connecting communities—but it also brings significant digital risks that can extend into the real world.
As an activist, I’ve personally experienced online harassment and threats of physical stalking. It was emotionally overwhelming and frightening, but it was also infuriating to see these tactics used to silence and intimidate people out of public life. I started Block Party because I needed better tools to manage my own online safety, and I realized many others did, too. When technology enables attacks at an unprecedented scale, we need technological solutions to protect ourselves, our families, our colleagues, and the broader communities we serve.
Q: How does it work?
A: Block Party integrates with your browser to scan and clean up your accounts across 11+ platforms, including Facebook, LinkedIn, and X (formerly Twitter). It identifies potential security risks and data overexposures, then prompts you to take action. If you accept the recommendations, Block Party automates the process of updating your settings or removing outdated content, making it quick and effortless.
As a browser extension, Block Party does not store your login credentials or access your accounts without your explicit direction. Think of it as a security-savvy friend sitting beside you, helping you update your settings—once you close your laptop, they no longer have access.
Q: What sets Block Party apart from other online protection tools?
A: Many organizations and campaigns already use privacy tools to remove personal information from third-party data brokers and people search sites. Block Party is complementary—and arguably even more essential—because it tackles first-party data, the information individuals voluntarily share online. Since this data often feeds into third-party sources, our approach helps reduce exposure at the root.
Block Party isn’t just for those at elevated risk; it provides a foundational security layer for everyone on a campaign, reducing the chances of harassment, impersonation, and digital threats. Just as every team member should use a password manager, every campaign member—whether a candidate, staffer, or volunteer—should proactively secure their online presence.
Attackers don’t need to target candidates directly. Compromising even one team member can expose the entire campaign. From impersonation and phishing to account takeovers, a single weak link can create a serious security threat. Block Party ensures that every team member minimizes their risk, keeping the whole campaign safer.
Q: What excites you most about partnering with DDC?
A: This collaboration amplifies our shared mission: ensuring that campaigns at every level have access to proactive safety measures without adding to their workload. Harassment, doxxing, and other digital attacks are often used to intimidate, silence, or coerce candidates, staff, and volunteers, ultimately threatening our democratic process. Partnering with DDC makes it easier for campaigns to access the tools they need to stay protected and allows us to put our automation technology into the hands of those who need it most.
We want campaigns to operate without the constant fear of digital attacks so they can stay focused on what truly matters.
Q: Campaigns often have limited time and resources. How does Block Party help?
A: Cybersecurity and cybersafety are too important to be ignored—campaigns must carve out time and resources for them, or they risk serious consequences. Traditionally, campaigns have relied on security consultants to conduct workshops or manually review online account risks, but these approaches are slow, tedious, and often ineffective due to lack of follow-through.
Block Party automates essential privacy and security tasks that would otherwise be time-consuming or overlooked. Not only do we help address vulnerabilities immediately, but we also continuously monitor for new risks, platform changes, and emerging threats, keeping campaign members safe with minimal effort on their part.
Q: What Block Party features are particularly useful for political campaigns?
A: We offer several key features that support campaigns:
Privacy & Security Checklists: These expert-backed recommendations cover all essential settings across social media accounts. After a scan, users receive a checklist of flagged risks, along with automated fixes to quickly secure their accounts.
Content Cleanup Tools: These tools enable batch deletion of photos and posts across social platforms, preventing old content from being misused or taken out of context—especially important for public figures looking to manage their digital footprint.
Connection Cleanup Tools: Users can review and remove unwanted connections from their accounts. For example, our Facebook unfriending tool lets users bulk-delete acquaintances or inactive connections, limiting access to personal information.
Experience Cleanup Tools: These enhance existing platform features like blocking, making it easier to filter out harmful interactions and maintain a safer online space.
Q: Any final thoughts?
A: Online safety and privacy can’t be an afterthought—especially in political campaigns, where digital threats often translate into real-world dangers. Every campaign, from grassroots efforts to national races, should take proactive steps to protect their team. We’re proud to support the movement to safeguard democracy by keeping campaigns secure, allowing them to focus on what truly matters.
Block Party is available for free through DDC for eligible campaigns. If you have questions or want to get started, email info@defendcampaigns.org.
