Digital Abuse & DV Recap: Pathways Forward

A discussion on how digital abuse impacts survivors of domestic violence and tips for prevention

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On October 18th, as part of our Domestic Violence Action Month campaign, we held a Pathways Forward discussion on the tactics and impacts of digital abuse with Émilie St-Pierre (Future Ada) and Chandler Dean (YWCA Spokane). We also discussed what individuals and tech companies could do to help prevent or mitigate online abuse. At the start of the event, we polled attendees and asked “Have you ever experienced online harassment or abuse?”  75% of participants said they have personally or know someone who has experienced digital abuse.

As technology advances so do the means of digital abuse. Chandler shared that in her eight years being in this field, tactics of online abuse have multiplied and gotten more complex. Thank you Émilie for the important work you do helping the community better understand how to use technology safely. Grateful to Chandler as well who helps survivors navigate complex systems in a trauma-informed way.

Key Takeaways

• Assess the number of devices you use and usage of each; make sure no one else has access to these devices
• Check privacy settings on your devices/apps
• Using a password manager can be helpful (this can be a simple Excel spreadsheet):
  • To remember passwords & email
  • To store passwords/email
  • For security questions
• An email and unique password should be used for each app or platform you use
• Many times we don’t know how our info is being used or how companies are protecting it
• Apple has ‘Hide My Email’ feature now that creates a unique email each time
• Isolation is a powerful tactic when it comes to domestic violence. Remote work can lead to isolation
• AI is still very new and a grey area; could be used to impersonate by image or voice

How to Help

• Ask the survivor how they feel safest, what they’re concerned about (ex. I’ve asked my friends not to tag me or take pics to post to social media)
• If the survivor documents instances of abuse, this can help any legal actions they may want to take

Resources

• Safety Resources for DV Survivors | https://www.techsafety.org/resources
• Data Removal Guide Book | https://inteltechniques.com/workbook.html
• Product Review for Privacy Concerns | https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/privacynotincluded/
• Surveillance Self-Defense | https://ssd.eff.org/
• YWCA Power & Control Wheel | https://ywcaspokane.org/power-and-control-wheel/
• Domestic Violence Action Month Kit | https://ywcaspokane.org/dvam2023-action-kit/
• Research
  • https://www.loveisrespect.org/pdf/What_Is_Digital_Abuse.pdf
  • https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2021/01/13/the-state-of-online-harassment/
  • https://datasociety.net/pubs/oh/Intimate_Partner_Digital_Abuse_2017.pdf
  • https://www.thehotline.org/resources/online-harassment-and-abuse/

About YWCA Spokane’s Pathways Forward Series

Pathways Forward is a online webinar series that allows YWCA Spokane to engage in progress-minded discussions with local experts on various topics related to our work and mission. Each discussion invites a real-time dialog between the panel and our community that is focused on identifying ways we can move forward together.

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