The ‘vast majority’ of domestic abuse cases in the UK now involve the use of technology such as spyware, a UK government committee has warned.
The Culture, Media and Sport Committee launched an inquiry a year ago to investigate the benefits and potential dangers of connected technology, such as smart speakers, virtual assistants and wearable fitness trackers.
And, they say, with most domestic abusers now collecting recordings and images of their victims or monitoring their movements, the government should make it a priority to tackle the problem.
According to the government, there are on average nine connected devices in every household in the UK, while by 2050 there will be 24 billion interconnected devices worldwide.
“While the rising popularity of connected technology has brought undoubted benefits to everyday life, the flip side is the real risk some of these gadgets pose to privacy and personal safety online,” says Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, chair of the CMS Committee.
“In particular, the surge in use of devices such as smart home security systems, baby monitors, cameras and smart speakers to monitor, harass, coerce and control victims of domestic abuse is truly chilling.”
The report calls for a particular focus on children, with young people increasingly likely to interact with connected technology at home and in schools.
“Connected devices also harvest a large amount of personal data and there are particular concerns where children are involved,” says Dinenage.
“The government and Information Commissioner’s Office should make sure products used in schools and by young people at home have privacy settings that are intuitive for children and age-appropriate terms and conditions.”
The MPs call for users to be given clear information about how their data is being collected and used, and for privacy interfaces to be appropriately accessible, intuitive, and flexible – users shouldn’t have to negotiate complex dashboards with long lists of terms and conditions and settings, it says.
Speaking to the committee, Dr Leonie Tanczer, lecturer in international security and emerging technologies at University College London, said that stalking charities, such as the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, have said that 100 per cent of their cases have a cyber element. And, she said, this was often the case even after victims have made their escape.
“People now need to think, ‘If I go into a refuge, is my smartwatch still connected with my device?’,” she said.
“Interestingly, people have found that women are often detected in the refuge through their Netflix account because they forget that they are still connected when they log in at the refuge.”
The report calls for better training for law enforcement, and says there needs to be more awareness of specialist services tackling violence against women and girls. It also says that the Office for Product Safety and Standards, should form a working group to look at the problem, with the aim of producing guidance and a code of practice for manufacturers, vendors, and law enforcement.
The committee will publish a second report later in the summer focusing on the impact of connected tech and AI on the creative industries.
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