From virtual assistants like Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri and Google Home, to smart light bulbs, kettles, security cameras, thermostats and ring doorbells – tracking apps and key-logging software are among products that have made it easier for perpetrators to maintain control of victims and continue abuse.
Many of our household appliances now come embedded with sensors and the ability to connect to wireless networks, allowing them to gather data about how we use them, and communicate with other devices in our homes.
But there are some who fear smart devices like these may actually pose a risk to the very people who share their home with them – that these tools of convenience are being turned into weapons of domestic abuse.
Technology is providing new opportunities for abusers to control, harass and stalk their victims
Although there are many ways abuse and control can manifest in households, technology is providing new opportunities for abusers to control, harass and stalk their victims. The mobile phone, especially, can provide a way of tracking and monitoring the activity of a partner without their consent or knowledge.
So, if you think you are being watched then you really could be. Although these tracking features are designed for safety, there is a fine line between care and control.
Technology facilitated abuse can include:
- Receiving repeated unwanted abusive texts and messages
- Checking who you are talking to online or over the phone
- Tracking apps being used to monitor and control
- Messages disappearing without you having deleted them
- Being told how and when to reply to messages
- Intimate moments being recorded with the threat of sharing with others
Domestic abuse charity Refuge states that of the people it supports some 70% have reported tech related abuse in a relationship. Refuge and Avast have created an interactive tool that can help you to secure your devices. Visit www.refugetechsafety.org for guidance.