RT Article
T1 Safeguarding the “Internet of Things” for Victim-Survivors of Domestic and Family Violence: Anticipating Exploitative Use and Encouraging Safety-by-Design
JF Violence against women
VO 31
IS 5
SP 1039
OP 1062
A1 Brown, Andi
A2 Harkin, Diarmaid 1986-
A2 Tanczer, Leonie Maria
LA English
YR 2025
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1919389059
AB Smart, Internet-connected devices—the so-called “Internet of Things” (IoT)—pose significant threats to victim-survivors of domestic and family violence (DFV). IoT systems have been used to abuse, harass, monitor, intimidate, and gaslight victim-survivors. We present findings from an abusability analysis that examined 13 IoT devices and allowed us to make several observations about common vulnerabilities to victim-survivors of DFV. We argue that IoT manufacturers must be encouraged to factor in the implications of DFV in the design of their products. Additionally, technology-facilitated abuse in DFV contexts must feature in industry and government safety-by-design approaches. Our results suggest ways IoT devices can be modified at low cost to alleviate opportunities for misuse, and we endorse IoT manufacturers to consider those risks early in the design stage.
K1 Domestic and family violence
K1 IoT-enabled abuse
K1 internet of things
K1 safety-by-design
K1 technology-facilitated abuse
DO 10.1177/10778012231222486