How tech plays a role in domestic abuse

Sharing passwords and personal information with romantic partners or family members is common practice in India. Adults frequently manage their elderly parents' finances online, and parents use trackers or apps to monitor their children's phone usage. Couples may operate a common social media account from separate devices, while family members living together often share phones, computers, cars, streaming app passwords, and smart devices.

However, the shared data and gadgets can be misused to commit abuse. For instance, an adult controlling their elderly parent's finances can steal their savings or damage their credit score. A parent might also track their adult children through their devices to stalk them or isolate them from friends. A romantic partner could misuse a shared social media app to control their partner's posts or share damaging content.

An abusive family member could cut off access to smart home devices and WiFi to exert control over their partner and children. Digital abuse, or cyber crimes, involves perpetrators targeting others virtually using technology. The abuser and victim may not know each other or be in the same country. Victims can secure their digital accounts, contact their bank, and report the issue to the police.

However, digital domestic abuse presents additional challenges as the abuser and victim may live together, share custody of children or pets, and the victim may be financially dependent on their abuser. If the abuser knows all passwords or uses spyware, the household devices may be compromised, making it difficult for the victim to access help.

Technology companies provide software and hardware solutions for parents to keep their children safe, such as parental controls and tracking apps to monitor children's screen time and location. However, the line between parental control and digital domestic abuse can blur, especially with younger people. While parents may check the browsing history and messages of a six-year-old child for safety reasons, this could be considered abuse in the case of a sixteen-year-old.

The issue becomes even more complex when children lack understanding of how they are being monitored. Senior citizens often depend on their younger relatives for assistance with managing finances, medical appointments, and device updates. Many service providers simplify their procedures, but elderly people may be more vulnerable to digital domestic abuse due to disabilities, cognitive conditions, or loss of control over their finances and home ownership rights. Abuse may be accompanied by physical, sexual, emotional, or neglect-based abuse.