Tech Abuse and Online Stalking Research

Research on tech abuse has mainly focused on common internet-connected devices such as smartphones and laptops, and has shown that they have been used routinely for online stalking, harassment and ______.

Preparators may exploit the location tracking features of certain apps (such as Apple’s ‘Find My’ function) in order to track their ______.

Spyware (also known as ‘stalkerware’) refers to software or apps that are designed to covertly monitor and gather information about a device, allowing a perpetrator to look at a victim’s messages and photographs, access the device’s cameras, record screen activity and track its ______, usually without the victim’s consent or knowledge.

Cyber security company Kaspersky reported that the number of people who discovered a stalkerware installation attempt on their device increased by 35% in the first 8 months of 2019, compared with the same period in ______.

Technology has expanded the ways in which sexual abuse can be perpetrated, for example, it can facilitate the non-consensual creation and/or sharing of sexual ______.

Researchers from University College London’s Gender and IoT research project have highlighted some of the ways in which IoT systems could pose a risk to victims of domestic ______.

Experts have said that when technology is used to facilitate domestic ______, it is likely to be the perpetrator who sets up and manages the devices used.

In some cases, the device’s ability to monitor and collect data may be ______, meaning the victim could be unaware they are being observed.

Conversely, a perpetrator may tell a victim that a device has functionality that it actually does not have, in order to ______ and frighten them.

Studies have also shown that abusers may use technologies to create a feeling of constantly being present in a victim’s life, making them feel like they have no privacy or ______.