The Internet of Terror: Domestic Abuse and IoT Technology
Your home is a personal sanctuary. You start and end your day at home. It’s the place where you can be your most uninhibited self and it supplies refuge from the hustle and bustle of the outside world. How would you feel if your home suddenly became a living, breathing organism capable of tracking your every move? This has become an unimaginable reality for many women who have fallen victim to harassment that stems from the increased use of smart home technology.
In a society that has become ever more connected to and dependent upon technology for instant access, inviting smart devices to manage our homes seems like a natural progression. In many ways, it makes perfect sense— as it gives our homes the ability to be more efficient, entertaining, and personalized. Home intelligence was designed to make life easier than ever— who wouldn’t want a refrigerator that displays its contents without the need for opening the door, makes your favorite coffee, and automatically alerts each family member of their daily household chores? Having access to this type of convenience is definitely a luxury, but it’s one that millions of people are eager to have— as indicated by the 31% annual growth rate of connected homes in the U.S. alone.
While the materialization of the connected home has literally put us in the age of The Jetsons in many aspects, what has the use of this smart technology actually cost us? The answer, in short, is our privacy. We are required to divulge personal information and relinquish control of our homes to various service providers. Some might consider these nothing more than minor inconveniences, but they make your home and all who inhabit it, vulnerable to unwanted exterior interference and infiltration. This vulnerability has started to become a new means for inflicting abuse upon people who live in these smart homes and the main target has been women.
Domestic violence shelters and hotlines have seen a recent uptick in reports of home technology being used as a means for aggressors to spy, monitor, intimidate, and control their victims. Harassment via smart technology can be something as innocuous as having the time of your digital clocks or thermostat changed without your permission, but even these actions pose a threat to your safety, as you have no idea what else people have access to in your home or when and where you are under surveillance. According to a 2014 report from the US National Network to End Domestic Violence, 97% of domestic violence, sex trafficking, and assault programs surveyed reported instances of survivors being targeted with technology.
While victims of internet-connected technology attacks may know their devices are under the control of perverse individuals, seeking the proper help to fight back can be difficult. The Internet of Things (IoT) technology is fairly new to society, which means many organizations and justice systems are unequipped to handle such disturbances. Reports of this seemingly niche means of abuse is largely met with confusion, frustration, and disbelief. In some instances, it even makes victims think they’re going crazy. While all those emotions are reasonable, many people fail to see just how perfect of a crime this is— as it gives aggressors the ability to inflict harm upon their targets from afar with the use of a laptop, which makes them largely undetected while they toil with the lives and sanity of their victims.
Abuse via home technology is a fairly new and uncharted concept, but there are some precautionary measures you can take to stay one step ahead of your aggressor. This includes doing things such as regularly updating password-protected devices, not placing internet-connected devices in vulnerable places such as bathrooms and bedrooms, and keeping a watchful eye on service providers you invite into your home. Unfortunately, we still have a lot to learn about this type of technology and how it works. Until we as a society have a better understanding of its potential and risks, all we can really do is be extra mindful of the technology and people we invite into our homes as to not jeopardize our safety and privacy.
