Perpetrators of domestic abuse areincreasinglyexploitingdigital toolsto coerce and control their victims.
Where there is abuse in a relationship, technology will also feature in how that abuse is conducted.
Police forces now expect as much, when responding to cases of domestic abuse.
Suchtechnological abusefeatures everyday tools, from smart devices to online platforms and mobile phone apps.
To understand the extent of this problem, weconducteda wide-ranging study for the UK government.
We found that abusers often havephysical accessto their partners devices and use them to monitor, harass and humiliate.
It’s free, every week, in your inbox.
Geolocation software and other surveillance spywareprovidenew possibilities for abusers to monitor and track victims movements.
In our study, we found hundreds of tools online that could be used for these purposes.
Surveillance
Some apps arehint at the possibility ofallowing hidden surveillance.
One survey founda 93% increasein the use of spyware and stalkerware apps since the beginning of the pandemic.
Research shows thesehavebeenexploitedto spy on or reportedly tostalka partner (or ex-partner).
Studies nowreferto them as dual-use apps.
Similar concerns have been voiced about covert monitoring devices and smart tech such as Apples AirTags.
But stalkers havereportedlyexploited them too.
Its not justsmart devicesthat are being used to access personal information.
They can be used to present the victim in a derogatory manner.
Legally, this is a grey area.
In some but not all instances, it can be argued that doing so constitutescyber-harassment.
Similarly, in 2017, another manallegedlyset up fake Grindr accountsin the name of his ex-boyfriend.
Over 1,000 men turned up at the victims house and workplace, looking for sex.
Elsewhere, perpetrators are engaging inimage-based sexual abuse.
People mightthreatento release intimate pictures or videos to retain control over their victim.
Technological abuse does not require IT proficiency.
Perpetrators are using everyday, affordable, accessible tech.
But when you talk about a phone and other digital devices, I dont think were there yet.
