Case Examples of Technology's impact on Domestic Violence Mother’s location in police safe house revealed by geo-tagged app used by child



Woman killed after search history, examined by abusive husband, revealed she was planning to leave him



Youth’s real-time social media postings reveal violent incident in progress; police respond and rescue victims



Numerous women endangered as location of transition house, recorded on GPS, discovered by abusive spouse



Issues around family violence often involve complex physical, mental, emotional, financial, spiritual, cultural and sexual dynamics that can result in a kaleidoscope of impulsive actions and reactions from victims.



The increasing rate of change in technological development is far outpacing the ability of society and business to adapt to rapidly evolving Information and Communication Technologies (“ICT”). Legislative change, and laws designed to deal with emerging technologies, are even further behind – and the gaps are widening.





Images can reveal huge amounts of information including time and date of creation, type of device used, and exact geographical location. Sites such as Geofeedia ( http://www.geofeedia.com ) can reveal real-time, geotagged social media postings made from devices with Geo-location services activated, as is often the default setting on cell phones and devices, revealing exactly what was said or seen, at what time, at what location, and by whom.



Those victims with children can also add responsibility, guilt and a heightened sense of fear into the mix and it can be difficult to visualize an effective escape process, never mind an alternate future.In the “Information Age” we now live in, the use of technology can provide immediate access to myriad of valuable resources that can assist victims of abuse who are considering leaving, or have made the decision to remove themselves and their children from their current situation.Message forums, live online chat groups, social media and networking sites, help lines, non-profit groups, police and victim support, banking and financial advisors, transition houses and lawyers can all be accessed from any computer or internet connected device that the victim has access to, almost anywhere in the world.Fast, free access to all this information is unprecedented and can be life-preserving; however,In July 2013, the Domestic Violence Fatality Review Committee (Connecticut) identified the Internet as a growing problem for victims of domestic violence, stating, “Domestic violence offenders increasingly use the Internet, social media and even global positioning systems, to stalk, terrify and monitor their victims”The report went on to state; "It just keeps getting worse and worse…telephone surveillance, Internet tracking, social media, video cameras, global positioning systems and a plethora of new software is out there."The fact that these types of threats now exist highlights the exponential development of technology, and how the methods used in society today for socializing, communicating and recreation are defining a generation gap wider than has ever been experienced before. These issues can make it much more difficult for victims to ask for, and obtain, support from people who understand the many dynamic methods of victimization that may be used against them.As recently at the 1980’s, police were not inclined to get involved in family violence situations at all, deeming them “civil matters”; fast forward a couple of decades and police officers now find themselves dealing with investigations so complex and steeped in digital evidence that they are quickly becoming crippled by information overload and the increasing pace of a technological revolution unlike anything society has ever seen before.No longer can police officers rely solely on “traditional” investigation and evidence gathering practices; frontline investigators must now also be conversant in the use of social media and networks, electronic evidence gathering, forensic examination of computer systems and digital devices, live online communication, and online privacy and security, or important lines of enquiry may be missed altogether, leaving individuals vulnerable to increased and repeated victimization.A significant challenge facing law enforcement is the cumbersome framework they work within; that is, the legal system. A “blunt instrument” at best, legislation is not designed, or structured, to be highly dynamic or responsive to fast-paced change; the processes for creating new case law, processing appeals, and defining digital evidence, are generally slow and unwieldy, meaning that changes to technological capabilities, privacy considerations and rules relating to evidence and disclosure may sometimes become outdated even during a case’s legal process.In the late 1990’s, while working as a police officer, I attended a domestic assault on a mother of two young children. The mother had been stabbed a number of times and had fled the home, leaving her two young children behind in the house with her attacker. Over the next few hours, the children were held hostage while negotiators vied for their release in exchange for cigarettes, alcohol and other such items. What was groundbreaking about this investigation? The negotiations were all carried out by cellular telephone.When I relocated to Canada in 2004 to undertake my current position, Facebook had only just been invented, the term “social media” was used only by a few technological elites, children did not routinely carry cellular phones and most homes were years from their current state, fully networked with WiFi routers supporting a myriad of connected devices. Gathering evidence in cases of domestic or family violence cases revolved around physical evidence; usually photographs of injuries, telephone records and statements from the victim, any witnesses and the perpetrator.Depending on the specific type of criminality involved, if any of the traditional elements were absent from the available evidence, a case had a very low likelihood of making it to the courtroom and the victim was at risk of being victimized all over again. Many women who had suffered ongoing physical, sexual and emotional abuse failed to speak out, knowing it would be a “word-against-word” situation that they had little chance of “winning”.In less than a decade, our world has become so digitally connected that most of what we do, both on and off line, is monitored, tracked or linked in one way or another. The majority of us carry recording, tracking and communication devices on our person all the time, in the form of our smart phones. We can use these devices to record the words or actions of another without that person being aware that they are being recorded; we can transmit data automatically using “apps” and pre-configured settings, and we can communicate with others using voice commands that don’t require us to touch our phones at all. These can all be life-saving assets for victims of family violence if used correctly, effectively and surreptitiously.Conversely, when we use our computers and other devices to search for information online, those machines will typically store information about the keywords we search and the sites we visit. The sites we visit on the other hand, also store a vast amount of information about us that could be used to specifically identify us. Sites such as Google and Facebook gather and analyze so much of our personal information, they are able to present us with targeted, personalized content whenever we visit either their sites or those of their affiliates.Some of this information can be located and viewed by anyone who has access to the computers and/or devices we use, sometimes whether they know our password or not, depending on how the computer has been configured. Anyone with access to our computers or networks, whether at home or at work, may also be able to view our Facebook status updates, details of our private message and our web based email, without ever gaining direct access to any of those accounts.If the data that we have control over can be so insecure, what about all the data that we have no control over, such as data generated by others that reveal information about us? When our children access certain applications on their mobile phones, tablets, laptops, desktops or gaming devices, those applications and devices can reveal information about their physical location, their friends, school, family, recreational activities and social networks.So what will the future bring in terms of technology and how will it impact family and domestic violence situations?In the next couple of years we will see more widespread use of facial recognition technology, mobile interaction devices such as Google Glass and the widespread inter-connection of devices, appliances and processes that will link independent facets of our lives together in unimaginable ways. These changes could go as far as to fundamentally affect how people interact and ultimately, how society functions, as a whole. Would you behave differently if you knew that everything you said and did could be recorded by anyone at any time? Would you feel safer or more vulnerable if your mobile device shared information about you continually? Would you self-censor or would you welcome the opportunity to be heard?Those victims of violence who are able to understand these technologies, have access to them and utilize them for assistance and protection may find that they are able to remove themselves from dangerous situations more quickly and effectively than ever before, while gathering their own evidence and preventing recurrences of violent situations. Technology can be a very valuable asset in accessing social services, arranging financial assistance and alternative housing, and staying in touch with critical support networks, while maintaining privacy, security and well-being.For the tech-savvy abuser, they will have an ever increasing array of options to intimidate, victimize and closely watch their targets in ways like never before.This exponential change and growth in technology is only going to continue, and to expedite. Those that are not able, or inclined, to embrace these changes in technology may quickly find themselves unable to fully participate in society on a number of levels, and those in service industries, that are relied upon to help and advise others, may find that their services become outsourced or even obsolete as they will no longer be in a position to provide relevant, timely and effective assistance to those that need it.The most effective way forward is to educate those responsible for providing protection and assistance to victims of violence and abuse so they can provide appropriate, accurate advice, ensure evidence is not lost or compromised and help vulnerable victims protect themselves, their family, their property and their livelihood.Toddington International Inc.