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New guide aims to help victims of smarthome-enabled domestic abuse

New York Times report last month pointed to the growing problem of smart home devices being used to harrass and stalk former partners.

Smart home technology is being used to inflict new forms of domestic abuse on partners and former partners. Examples include everything from video surveillance through cameras to blasting out loud music through smart speakers and turning up thermostat temperatures to oppressive levels.

A British university has now put together a series of links to resources which can help those who find themselves being targeted in this way …

University College London (UCL) collated the links.

This resource list is intended as supplementary material to better inform and guide victims of technology-facilitated abuse as well as those working with them.

It lists organisations which produce guidelines and advice, and highlights known methods of abuse which perpetrators may exploit. It also serves as a reference point to provide additional information on common cybersecurity and privacy issues.

Many of the links are specific to the issue.

Technology Safety is a blog managed by the Safety Net Project at the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV). The blog discusses technology, privacy, and safety in the context of intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and violence against women* and provides safety toolkits to aid victims. Most recently NNEDV published dedicated information to assist in a better understanding of IoT in domestic violence cases. Resources include information on how to spot and engage with personal assistants, connected health & medical devices, smart toys and location trackers.

While others are more general.

The Security Planner by Citizen Lab is an easy-to-use guide with expert-reviewed advice for staying safer online. Users answer a few simple questions to get personalised online safety recommendations. An updated version of the Security Planner in languages other than English is expected to be released soon.

Via Gizmodo. Photo: Avira.


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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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