SMART home devices are increasingly being used to track and control victims of domestic abuse, MPs have warned.
Connected devices such as smart speakers, watches, baby monitors, doorbells and even Netflix accounts are being used to broaden surveillance over survivors.
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The average UK household has around nine smart devices, according to official figures.
But it’s estimated that by 2050, there’ll be more than 24billion connected devices worldwide.
The UK government has been urged to do more to tackle a rise in so-called “tech abuse”, following a report by the Culture, Media and Sport Committee.
Dame Caroline Dinenage, chair of the CMS Committee, said the surge in tech abuse was “truly chilling”.
“The government must make it a priority to work with manufacturers to tackle this technology-facilitated abuse, which is only going to get worse in the future.”
The report revealed how interconnected devices and accounts are being used as a form of spyware, allowing abusers to track their victims’ whereabouts and listen in on their conversations.
These days, the most unlikely of Wi-Fi supported devices can be used to spy on victims, including smart pet feeders.
Statistics from Refuge, the largest domestic abuse organisation in the UK, found that nearly 60 per cent of women and children it supported had experience abuse involving technology in 2020.
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However, onlookers believe the overall figure is higher.
Speaking to the committee, Dr Leonie Tanczer, lecturer in international security and emerging technologies at University College London, warned that some women were now being detected at domestic violence refuges and shelters through their Netflix accounts.
“People now need to think, ‘If I go into a refuge, is my smartwatch still connected with my device?’
“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.
“It is these things that women are not thinking of, and of course they aren’t,” she said.
The committee criticised the current level of support the criminal justice lends to tech abuse, describing the approach as “lacking”.
There must be more specialist services and training rolled out to police forces, MPs added.
A government spokesperson said: “Domestic abuse is a despicable crime and one which this government is determined to tackle.
“That is why we published the cross-government tackling domestic abuse plan in March 2022 and are investing over £230m of funding to prevent offending, support victims and pursue perpetrators.
“We will introduce world-leading rules next year to bolster cybersecurity standards across devices, protecting individual privacy and security, and our Online Safety Bill will become law in a matter of months – making the UK the safest place in the world to be online.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, you can contact Refuge at 0808 2000 247. In an emergency situation, call 999.
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