By Amanda Booth<\/p>\n
The mention of technology surveillance often conjures images of big tech companies<\/span> tracking us across the internet<\/span><\/a> for profit or FBI agents<\/span> trawling through emails<\/span><\/a>. But such surveillance also rears its head in intimate partner violence.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The Cyber Policy and Gender Violence Initiative recently hosted a panel on state of tech-enabled domestic abuse with the <\/span>Coalition Against Stalkerware<\/span><\/a>. Members of the coalition come from industry, academia, domestic violence non-profits, and civil liberties organizations. Their mission is to educate the public and policymakers on the dangers of tech abuse.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Here\u2019s a quick recap of what the panel discussed:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Intimate partner abuse and domestic violence involve patterns of abusive and coercive behaviors to gain power and control over another person.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt’s not just physical,\u201d Erica Olson of the National Network to End Domestic Violence explained. \u201cIt’s sexual, financial, and emotional. It includes tactics to isolate a person, to harm their reputation, which can impact their ability to be believed when they disclose abuse.\u201d <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n These tactics are also used to destroy a victim\u2019s ability to gain independence.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Abusers increasingly use technology to carry out domestic violence, teen dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. These techniques, unfortunately, arose rapidly, and domestic violence shelters are still learning to navigate tech-enabled abuse.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhen I started out doing this, it was definitely considered more of a side conversation \u2014\u00a0 and something really only talked about in a safety plan if somebody coming and seeking services raised it somehow,\u201d Erica said.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBut today… it’s regularly a part of most cases of abuse and tactics of tech abuse are woven throughout all other forms of abuse.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Tech abuse is when an abuser:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n We\u2019ve seen a rise of tech abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a <\/span>study<\/span><\/a> from the National Network to End Domestic Violence. The most common tactics were harassment, limiting access to technology, and surveillance.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In less than a minute, an abuser can install a full suite of surveillance software on a victim\u2019s phone. Abusers often use coercion to temporarily gain this access.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Stalkerware applications are not permitted on both Apple\u2019s and Google\u2019s app stores, but they often slip through by posing as something innocuous, like a calculator.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Stalkerware laws vary across state lines<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The legality of stalkerware is complicated. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If a company markets stalkerware explicitly for the purpose of breaking the law, that in itself could be breaking the law. In the panel, Eva Galperin of the Electronic Frontier Foundation showed a YouTube stalkerware advertisement. This ad showed how a man caught his partner cheating by using stalkerware. He then gave her a black eye.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Despite its invasiveness, stalkerware is only illegal in \u201ctwo party consent\u201d states. These laws required both people on a phone call to consent to recording.\u00a0 The vast majority of states, however, are \u201cone party consent\u201d states, meaning that victims have no legal recourse towards stalkerware being forcibly downloaded onto their phone.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The stalkerware industry is a hotbed for data leaks<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n According to TechCrunch, over a dozen stalkerware companies have <\/span>compromised user data<\/span><\/a> in the last few years.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNot only do we have a company, which is making a product which enables abuse, but they\u2019re doing such a poor job of securing the information that\u2019s exfiltrated that they are opening the targets of this abuse to even further abuse,\u201d Eva explained.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Victims of tech abuse can\u2019t just \u201cstay offline\u201d<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n These days, being online means having access to a bank account, staying in touch with your loved ones, and finding basic services.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNot only is it not reasonable in today\u2019s age [to disconnect from all devices] \u2026 but you also need it to connect to your support network,\u201d Thomas Ristenpart, Associate Professor at Cornell Tech, said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Tech abuse is broader than just stalkerware<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n While stalkerware is no doubt a serious problem, abusers more often take advantage of common pieces of technology.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Apple AirTags, for example, can be <\/span>hidden in a victim\u2019s belongings<\/span><\/a> in order to track their location. While Apple sends notifications to iPhone users if an AirTag not linked to their device moves around with them, Android users don\u2019t have the same protections. Instead, an AirTag makes a sound if it\u2019s away from the device it\u2019s linked to after 72 hours. In short, Apple has built in some protections from abuse, but they\u2019re by no means bulletproof.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Couldn\u2019t make the panel?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If you weren\u2019t able to come to the panel (or just want to watch it again), you can still <\/span>watch the recording<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Amanda Booth The mention of technology surveillance often conjures images of big tech companies tracking us across the internet for profit or FBI agents…<\/p>\nDefining abuse and domestic violence<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
The rise of tech abuse<\/span><\/b><\/h2>\n
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What is stalkerware?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
4 takeaways from our panel<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n