What happens when your abuser controls the tech in your home?

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Internet of things devices like smart speakers and networked heating controls are increasingly being used by perpetrators of domestic violence – for instance by changing the temperature the heating is set to or the music that the victim listens too, remotely. If an abuser has set up the home's smart devices or knows their victim's log in details, it's easy for them to intimidate, confuse and control, or gaslight, their victims. Julia Slupska from the Oxford Internet Institute explains this form of abuse has become more common during lockdown, when physical support systems have not been open, and when victims are isolated in the home with their abusers, and even more reliant on technology than usual. She says that more security and privacy functionality is needed, and that although various commissions are looking into this being set up, things are moving too slowly. Photo: A man controlling devices in the home Credit: Getty Images