Domestic abuse law fails to recognise danger of tech abuse, Lords committee told | Online abuse
The Domestic Abuse Act does not fully recognize the danger of abuse facilitated by technology such as location tracking or secret tracking software, a select committee of the Lords has heard.
Jen Reed, head of policy at University College London’s Gender and Technology Research Lab, said during an evidence session that technology abuse was “increasingly common” and “now very commonplace in the context of domestic abuse”.
Technology-facilitated abuse, or misuse of technology, is the use of digital devices and platforms to harass, stalk, monitor, control and abuse a person.
Reed called for technology abuse to be included in the legal definition of domestic abuse. He said: “Technology abuse is just as devastating as physical abuse. “The impacts we see on individuals, I can’t overstate enough how horrific some of the cases we see are.
“We are seeing tracking software and spyware installed on people’s phones. [Apple] AirTags and tracking devices are sewn onto children’s belongings or clothing so they can be followed to their shelter during visitation orders.
“We’ve seen smart refrigerators used to prevent people from eating or accessing food while they’re at home. We’ve seen smart speakers accessed remotely to trigger a wedding song or something else that’s triggered on every speaker in the house when a perpetrator leaves for work.”
The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 created a statutory definition of domestic abuse that covers physical or sexual abuse, violent or threatening behaviour, coercive and controlling behaviour, economic abuse and psychological or emotional abuse. Although misuse of technology is not mentioned, cases often fall into the category of coercive and controlling behavior; but there is room for cases to fall between the cracks.
Cybersecurity company Kaspersky published a statement report On Tuesday, it was revealed that 45% of respondents worldwide had experienced technology abuse in the past 12 months.
Misuse of technology is clearly included legal guidance But Reed told the committee that the lack of reference to misuse of technology now means it is “mostly treated as a secondary or hidden issue.”
Reed said that despite technology being “used extensively for coercive control”, this type of abuse is still “currently treated as an online safety issue because it doesn’t fall within that mainstream definition. That’s what influences how frontline services interpret it and whether they see it as the basis and center of domestic abuse.”
Reed told the committee that technology abuse is becoming increasingly normalized, especially for young people. “We have more and more parents [monitor] Children’s place for safety. “Then you enter your first intimate partner relationship and think it’s completely normal to be stalked.”
A UK-wide survey by Refuge in March found that young people were less likely than other age groups to spot signs of abuse. However, a study conducted by Youth Donation Fund 19% of young people surveyed said their partners tracked their phones, and 14% said they tracked their locations.
Reed said: “I think this is one of the declines [of the act] We didn’t realize how much technology could actually change intimate relationships, and young people in particular suffered from this. There is an increase in the normalization of this type of behavior. People think it’s normal to track your partner’s location, to have passwords to their phone, to the complete absence of the digital divide.
“But when it gets extreme and you have an abusive relationship, it’s obviously quite dangerous.”
