Technology has become an integral part of our lives. In 2023, the number of mobile subscriptions (8.58 billion) outpaced the global population (7.95 billion). From smartphones to wearables like AI-powered glasses and watches, the rate of technology adoption in the Black community is comparable to the white counterpart. In fact, Black Americans frequently lead in mobile-centric tech adoption, social engagement, and cutting-edge tools like generative AI.
Technology is not inherently bad and can be a force for great good, in the right hands. Unfortunately, it also facilitates the actualization of vices like domestic abuse. A 2022 review published in the National Library of Medicine identified technology-facilitated abuse (TFA) as a harmful phenomenon and emerging trend in intimate partner violence.
Technology-facilitated abusers often seek to monitor or control their victims. They easily achieve these goals with the help of interconnected devices—smart devices that communicate remotely over the internet. Interconnected devices can make it easier for abusers to discreetly achieve their goal, sometimes without the victim’s knowledge.
Actions that Constitute Technology-Facilitated Abuse
Physical violence can easily be identified with visible scars on the victim’s body. Although not less harmful, psychological, emotional, and financial abuses are harder to spot, and these are the forms of abuse that technology facilitates. Data from Our Sisters’ House show that around 53.8% of Black women experience psychological abuse, compared to 41.2% who experience physical abuse. Examples of psychological abuse include verbal abuse and public shaming, social isolation, stalking, and so on.
Due to the absence of physical trauma, the abuser can be unaware of the extent of the harm of their actions on their victims. In our community, a lot of adults are guilty of TFA without knowing it because they are not enlightened about the actions that constitute abuse. Actions or behaviors that constitute TFA can be grouped under five key themes.
1. Surveillance, Tracking, and Stalking
Perpetrators often use physical devices like AirTags or location tracking apps to monitor their victim’s movement. Software monitoring can include the installation of unauthorized software or hidden surveillance cameras to secretly view their victim’s messages, call history, or physical surroundings. Some go as far as hacking their victim’s private emails, banking portals, and social media profiles without permission.
2. Image-Based Sexual Abuse and Coercion
Sharing explicit images or videos without the victim’s consent constitutes abuse. In some cases, the abuser may use the victim’s intimate content as a weapon of blackmail or financial extortion. Emerging abuse is the creation of explicit AI-generated deepfakes using the victim’s images or videos.
3. Communication Harassment and Doxing
Flooding anyone with continuous calls and texts to demand proof of their whereabouts is a common form of abuse in our community. There are instances where people expose the private contact information of their victim online to encourage third-party harassment (doxing). Others often resort to cyberbullying by posting hateful or insulting comments to inflict emotional distress on their victims.
4. Identity Theft or Impersonation
Abusers often impersonate their victim online to destroy their social standing. One popular way this is implemented is by creating fake profiles or logging into their victim’s existing accounts to post harmful material with the intent of ruining their reputation.
5. Smart Home or Environment Control
The rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) has introduced a new form of domestic abuse that leverages shared home infrastructure, such as remotely tampering with smart thermostats, smart lighting, or other connected devices to cause fear or disorientation. Abuse can also entail changing the lock codes on digital door locks or home security systems without your partner’s knowledge to lock them out or limit their freedom.
How to Deal with Technology-Facilitated Abuse
There is still lots of stigma around many things in our community, including a failed relationship or marriage. As a victim of TFA, you should prioritize your personal safety, secure your digital footprint, and keep documented evidence of the harassment. Here is a checklist of what you should do:
- Check for physical trackers like AirTags or cameras that the abuser may be using to track your location
- Change your phone password and the passwords of all your social profiles that may be compromised to kick the abuser out
- Turn on two-factor authentication across your emails and social media profiles
- Audit all logged-in devices and log out all unfamiliar browsers, phones, or tablets
- Turn off location services on apps, social platforms, and device-finding networks to make it harder for your abuser to track you
How to Know if Someone is Monitoring You
If someone knows exactly where you have been or knows all the messages that enters or leaves your phone, it is probably because they are monitoring you. Here are tips that will help you check if someone is monitoring you.
- Your phone battery or car dashboard battery drains faster
- There is a green or orange dot at the top of your screen. This is an indicator to show the camera or microphone is active
- An unexplained spike in data use can be a sign that an app is sending your files to someone else
While you cannot control how people treat you, how you react will determine if the abuser will feel empowered to continue their harassment or walk away. Remember, you don’t have to face it alone. Always seek help if you need it to overcome your abuser. Color Of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. It actively combats the digital abuse of people in our community.
For More Reading
- Atske, S., & Perrin, A. (2021, July 16). Home broadband adoption, computer ownership vary by race, ethnicity in the U.S. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/07/16/home-broadband-adoption-computer-ownership-vary-by-race-ethnicity-in-the-u-s/
- Eno, G. (2024). Black women coping with violence and trauma. Elevate Black Health. https://www.elevateblackhealth.com/black-women-coping-with-violence-and-trauma/
- Kinyua, E. (2022). Teen health: Confronting domestic violence among Black teens. Elevate Black Health. https://www.elevateblackhealth.com/teen-health-confronting-domestic-violence-among-black-teens/
- Our Sisters’ House. (n.d.). Statistics. Our Sisters’ House. https://www.oursistershouse.com/statistics/
- Rogers, M. M., Fisher, C., Ali, P., Allmark, P., & Fontes, L. (2023). Technology-facilitated abuse in intimate relationships: A scoping review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 24(4), 2210-2226.
- World Economic Forum. (2023, April 11). Charted: There are more mobile phones than people in the world. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/global-cooperation/charted-there-are-more-phones-than-people-in-the-world/
