HOW TECHNOLOGY IS MISUSED BY ABUSERS. TRACKING YOUR PARTNER IS NOT APPROPRIATE AND OFTEN ILLEGAL

13 March 2017.  Church Center for the United Nations. Speaker: Cindy Southworth, MSM, Executive Vice President, National Network to End Domestic Violence, Washington, DC.

By Nazgul Asangojoeva-Baekova

Cindy Southworth

 Though people are happy to have their posts on social media, they should avoid posting publically, because it often leaves them vulnerable to stalkers. Cindy Southworth highlighted that if someone does not know how to “stalk” their partner, she needs to be weary does not want to accidentally teach them how to misuse and abuse technology. She is careful with what she posts on the Internet.

Most of the abusers have to have physical access to the phone in order to download an application that would allow them to control you (the name of the application is then purposefully deleted). There are new products that you can remotely install, called XX applications, on the phone without ever touching it. It can also be downloaded from the Internet. So, somebody can send you an email with an attachment, and once you open that attachment, spyware will automatically download. The monitoring then can be done remotely.

So, regarding safety tips, Southworth reminds survivors to trust their instincts. If a survivor says that somehow her ex knows too much about what she is doing on her phone, it is critical for her to trust those instincts.

You can narrow down what it is happening. Say you know that your ex has access to your email, this could be because he or she is knowledgeable of your password. But if the abuser knows your location 24 hours a day, it is more likely the phone that has been compromised. If an abuser knows your location when driving, it could be because your car has a location device on it. It is important to think about what the offender or abuser knows and what that technology can do.

If a survivor is concerned about the phone being compromised, it is ideal to use a new phone. It is not an easy purchase decision for most people, though. Asking people to throw their phones out can be economically pressing and not a simple option; however, this is truly the safest and most effective option. If someone does choose to get a new phone, it is important that they try to activate a password protector immediately. However, Southworth says that she’s aware that part of domestic violence is changing passwords and changing PIN numbers; so ultimately, even getting a new phone while you are still dating an abusive partner can still be dangerous.

In a 2014 survey, they found that 41% of local programs are reporting that abusers use location services and GPS global positioning systems to stalk their victims. Some of these tools are built into phones. For instance, Apple has “find my iPhone”; which, is a great way to find your phone if you lose it. However, there are instances where an abuser can turn on “find my iPhone” of their targeted victim and trace that person. Meanwhile, the victim is entirely unaware that he or she is being tracked.

One of the things to also consider, is the storage history in Maps. You can login into the Map program to see where you have been. With an XX, the little devices on your car, abusers can keep track of your travel history. These apps could show where you have been if you were driving and with all the social media there are lots of ways to tag people and check in to places. Companies sell tiny XX devices with the intent that they can be used for appropriate reasons; such as, tracking trucking companies when shipping containers and products are being transported and delivered. However, using it to track your partner is not appropriate and often illegal.