Domestic violence is about the abuse of power and control, which can take many forms. Often, technology can serve as a major tool of control and oppression, online and off. Survivors are not responsible for or in control of their abuser’s actions, but learning about how technology can be used against them can, in turn, help them take back control and take precautions to protect themselves.
The importance of digital security in domestic violence situations
We use digital technology in virtually every aspect of our lives to communicate with friends and family, to work, to manage our finances, and even to control our home appliances. While it brings many benefits, this digitization of our lives also means that technology can be used by abusive individuals to monitor, track, stalk, and control their victims.
Be able to trust your devices
To use your device safely, you need to know that you can trust it. Your device may be a phone, laptop, or desktop computer, or it may be a car or television. To be able to trust your device, it is best to keep it hidden and prevent anybody from finding out about its existence. In the case of your car, hiding its existence is close to impossible, so you may not be able to have full confidence in its safety.
How to tell if someone has bugged your phone, computer, or other devices
There is no sure way of knowing if someone has tampered with your devices or if someone is using your devices against you. There are, however, a few signs that may indicate that something is wrong:
- Your device has been taken from you for a period of time
- Your device behaves differently from how you expect it to
- Your abuser discourages you from using other devices or leaving your device at home
- Your abuser knows things that you would not expect them to, like whom you’ve spoken with, where you’ve been, or the contents of an email
- You receive notifications that someone has been accessing your accounts without your knowledge or consent
- Your device has technical or performance issues you can’t explain, such as unusual battery use, strange apps, or unexpected changes in settings
Make sure you can trust your phone
Smartphones offer reasonable protection by default, but anyone with access to the device can compromise your phone’s security. If you set up your phone by yourself with a good passcode, and if nobody else has had access to your device, then you can probably assume it is secure.
If you did not set up your phone by yourself, your abuser could be using your phone to track you. They may have installed stalkerware (a type of spyware) onto your phone that allows them to track your location and monitor your activity without your knowledge.
Restore your phone to factory settings
When you’re not sure if someone has installed tracking software on your phone, restore your phone to its factory settings. For most devices, including Android phones and iPhones, performing a factory reset will usually return the device to a safe state. In rare cases, you may need to reinstall the software on Android phones from scratch.
Make sure you can trust your computer
Like smartphones, you can probably trust your laptop if you set it up by yourself, are the only one with access to it, and encrypt the hard drive. Full-disk encryption protects your data if someone tries to access the computer without your password. On Windows, this is done through Device Encryption or BitLocker, and macOS offers FileVault. Most modern PCs and laptops also include simple reset options that can return the system to factory settings.
Semi-trust your device
Even if you can’t fully trust your device, chances are your abuser isn’t a super hacker who can deploy sophisticated malware and fiddle with your hardware to keep you under their control. In this case, here are simple measures you can take to use your computer safely and privately:
- Keep important files on USB drives and hide the USB drives in safe places. For additional security, consider encrypting the drive and setting a password (this functionality is built into both Windows and macOS).
- Conversely, use cloud storage services that are password-protected, use two-factor authentication, and have strong encryption and privacy policies.
- Browse the internet in an incognito window. This prevents your browsing history and cookies from being stored on your device.
- Use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to encrypt your internet connection and hide your IP address, making it much harder for anyone to track what you do online.
Make sure you can trust the gadgets in your home
All of the above is true for other connected devices you have in your home, especially if they come with features that can be abused for surveillance, such as cameras, microphones, or motion sensors. These devices often have poor security; it is easier to be out of view or earshot of these devices when you need privacy.
How to secure your files, data, and important information
If you have a device you can trust, it should be easy to keep your files and data safe from your abuser. Online storage services like Google Drive, iCloud, OneDrive, or Dropbox let you save your files online in the cloud. Even if you lose access to your device, you’ll still be able to access your files from another phone or device.
Use two-factor authentication
To protect your data and accounts in the cloud from unwanted access, make sure that you alone have exclusive access to your email address and that you are the only one who knows the password. If you have a device that you trust and know your abuser doesn’t have access to it, two-factor authentication will help prevent them from accessing your account. If you aren’t able to trust and secure your device, then don’t use it.
Use secret USB Sticks
If you can’t trust your device, you can still store data safely, although it’s harder to keep your files secret. Secret USB sticks will do the trick as long as you hide them somewhere safe. Better still, store your files on USB sticks with secret partitions; if your abuser were to get ahold of one of these partitioned USB sticks and plug it into a computer, the USB stick would appear to be broken rather than revealing all of your files.
Scan your most important records
Scan, photograph, or make copies of all your important documents, such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, immigration papers, your children’s documents, school diplomas, passports, visas, credit cards, medical records, court filings, police reports, insurance papers, and driving licenses. These records will make it easier for you to get these documents back in case your abuser takes them away from you.
Secure your social media presence
Similar to your cloud storage or email, you will need to secure your social media accounts from intrusion. Make use of two-factor authentication, and make sure the email you provide at signup is secure. Your abuser may use your social media presence to surveil you. Review the privacy settings of each of your accounts, and consider withdrawing location permissions from apps altogether. You may want to set your account to private or only create accounts under pseudonyms.
Encrypt your chats
Always choose encrypted communications over unencrypted ones. The encryption features in apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, and Viber make it impossible for anyone who takes over your account to read your past chats. In some apps, you can set your messages to “self-destruct” after a set amount of time, so even if someone gains access to your device, they won’t see your past message exchanges.
Beware of phone metadata
In the case of your phone, the numbers you call may appear on your bill. The person who pays your phone bill can access even more detailed information, such as when you called which number, for how long, and, in some cases, your location at the time of the call. If the person trying to obtain your call information is close to you or has family ties with you, they may be able to obtain a lot of your metadata from your mobile phone provider. They will also be able to forward all incoming calls to your phone to another number, which means they could receive your phone calls and texts, including those used for security verifications for your online accounts.
Protect your email account
If you have a phone that you’re sure only you can access, secure your email with two-factor authentication, ideally using an authenticator app or passkey rather than SMS, which can be intercepted. Many email providers allow you to review when and where your email account was recently accessed. If you have reason to suspect that someone is looking at your emails, you may wish to review these logs.
How to establish financial independence
If you have a bank account in your own name, you already have a powerful tool of financial independence, and you should be sure to secure it. Protect your bank account by making sure it stays in your name. Ask your bank what it would take for a family member to take over your account, so you have some idea of how easy or difficult it might be for your abuser to gain access to your finances.
Avoid online and phone banking
Conducting your banking activities over the phone or the internet leaves you vulnerable to anyone trying to impersonate you to access your account. If you do not have access to a computer or phone that you can trust, you can visit your bank in person and request that they permanently disable phone and internet banking for you.
Open your own bank account
Depending on where you are, you may be able to open a bank account in your own name and keep it a secret from your abuser. Because many banks will ask for “proof of address” to open an account, like an electricity bill, you will need to have a trusted partner or family member who can provide you with an address. Once your own bank account is open, you will be able to deposit savings into the account or use the associated debit card for private transactions.
Use cash and other bearer assets
Without your own bank account, there are still a few ways you can achieve some financial autonomy, save for the future, and spend money without letting those around you know. Cash immediately comes to mind, though it can be hard to store. Putting away a few rands every week might not raise much suspicion, but it will accumulate to a respectable emergency stash after just half a year. Keep in mind, however, that cash stored at home isn’t insured the way bank deposits are, so it can be lost to theft or disasters.
We hope this guide has helped empower you to turn technology into a powerful shield that enables you to plan for your own safety, and to protect and ultimately liberate yourself. If you are in immediate danger, call the police for help.
