Thermostats, Locks and Lights: Digital Tools of Domestic Abuse

Thermostats, Locks and Lights: Digital Tools of Domestic Abuse

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/23/technology/smart-home-devices-domestic-abuse.html

  Their stories are part of a new pattern of behavior in domestic
abuse cases tied to the rise of smart home technology.
Internet-connected locks, speakers, thermostats, lights and
cameras that have been marketed as the newest conveniences are
now also being used as a means for harassment, monitoring,
revenge and control.  In more than 30 interviews with The New
York Times, domestic abuse victims, their lawyers, shelter
workers and emergency responders described how the technology
was becoming an alarming new tool. Abusers — using apps on
their smartphones, which are connected to the internet-enabled
devices — would remotely control everyday objects in the home,
sometimes to watch and listen, other times to scare or show
power. Even after a partner had left the home, the devices often
stayed and continued to be used to intimidate and confuse.