Diana Freed spoke about digital domestic abuse in an interview. A Ph.D. candidate, she specializes in digital security and privacy at Cornell Tech in New York City.
It is difficult to escape domestic abuse most of the time because of what the victim and the abuser have shared. But in some cases, some find the strength to walk away. However, for some, the abuse does not stop even after this.
Diana reveals that she is concerned about the relationship between digital technologies and intimate partner violence. It is quite interesting to note that these further abuses are not a product of some special hacking tools or some malware.
Most times it is because of common digital software or tools that both parties had used together in the past.
There is an instance of an Australian woman whose former partner kept stalking for months by using her car technology. The Washington Post reported this issue. He used apps that were linked to her Land Rover to control; it. He could reportedly stop the car, track her and also use are windows.
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A statistic report on the Wbur article stated that:
“National Network to End Domestic Violence found 50% of victim service providers report that offenders use cellphone apps to stalk survivors, and another 41% reported abusers use GPS tracking.”
Turns out that this is a very serious issue.
Freed said this may be because the abusive partners and their victims may have shared accounts. Some may have also used family plans and shared iCloud accounts as well. She also mentioned some apps used by the abusers to locate victims like Find My Friends or Google Maps.
But how can survivors show strength and escape yet again?
A Way Out of Digital Domestic Abuse
It is not as easy as uninstalling the app. In some cases, it may have been the abuser that bought the device for the victim. Also, the abuser may be the main user of the app and the victim may be locked out of an account that they really need.
Diana Freed advised the victims to contact professionals and get to the root, where the abuser is taking advantage of the apps. They are to cooperate with the professionals and may check out websites like IPV Tech or Tech Safety Hotline.
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