For women living with domestic violence, technology can serve as both a lifeline to safety and a way for abusive partners to exercise even more control over victims. Abusers can use constant surveillance, phone monitoring, or even spyware to harass and terrorize survivors or limit their movement. Now, with millions of women stuck at home due to COVID-19, cut off from friends, family and support, digital privacy is more important than ever.
Luckily, women can use a few simple techniques to fight back and protect themselves from “technology-enabled coercive control”. These range from basic tasks such as writing down a list of all the accounts shared with an abusive partner to learning how to identify and eradicate spyware on a phone or computer.
For more important tips on how to protect yourself and your loved ones while using technology, check out the National Network to End Domestic Violence Survivor Toolkit.
Compiled from: Wells, Kaitlyn and Klosowski, Thorin, Domestic Abusers Can Control Your Devices. Here’s How to Fight Back, The New York Times (April 6, 2020).