00:00People are opting into apps and programs that build that connection, that allow family members
00:07to know where mum is or where kids are.
00:10Same with friends, particularly younger groups are choosing to build those apps into their
00:14relationships.
00:16But what we see is when people are wanting to control, to intimidate, to harass, and
00:22that might be a partner or an ex-partner, it might be a family member in the context
00:26of family violence, those same features are a really effective way to do that.
00:30So we see technology-facilitated abuse occurring in that context of harassment, of control
00:35and abuse, and also through the use of images that can really form part of sexual abuse for
00:40someone.
00:41So there can be very serious harms, and these harms are not just in the minute, these can
00:45have really lasting effects on victims and survivors in these relationships, or particularly
00:50when relationships are ended and someone is continuing to try and exert control over a
00:54former partner.
00:55And would you say tech is moving faster than we can keep up with?
00:59Well, I think what we're missing is this really critical element of safety by design.
01:05And we've seen that coming through in lots of ways.
01:08The people who are developing, who are selling, who are marketing these products have to make
01:12sure that they can't be used for harm.
01:14And there are ways to do that if you think about safety from the outset.
01:18I think what we're starting to see is that once technology is out in the market and is
01:22being used by all of us in lots of different ways, it's often very late to bring that concept
01:27of safety in.
01:28We need to see it right at the start and right at the heart of new and evolving technology.
01:32How does this change their crisis response, say for women who end up in shelters?
01:37Look, we are hearing from services who are onto this from the very point of first contact
01:44with someone who is reporting violence.
01:46So we're seeing services able to scan whether it's your phone or your devices to make sure
01:52that you don't have someone using apps in a way that you don't want them to.
01:56We are also starting to build a set of resources for individuals to make sure that you don't
02:00have shared accounts.
02:01If a relationship has ended, that you can scan and test that equipment yourself.
02:07And similarly, when we're talking about smart cars, we know that just as you might get your
02:10car serviced, you can also have who else is accessing the technology reviewed.
02:15And then you can have people removed.
02:16But the critical path for any of that to be effective is awareness.
02:20And then at the same time, as I say, this is not only about individual usage, it's absolutely
02:25about the systems that are designing, marketing and selling these products.
02:29And they play a really critical role in making sure that those products aren't used harmfully.
02:34So it's clear that regulation is needed and a response to that.
02:39Education important as well as you've outlined there.
02:42What can people do now?
02:44And what can we facilitate better on a national level?
02:49And Australia has really been leading the way in terms of what it looks like to bring
02:52a really effective regulatory arm.
02:55And as you say, that's part of the solution.
02:57So at an individual level, people can be looking at their products, their apps, their platforms
03:02and assessing, are there other users?
03:05Did we set this up with a group of users who we no longer want to have connected?
03:08And you can remove users.
03:10But there's another really core security tip that we hear all the time in our workplaces
03:14that is just as important here, which is about your login and your password.
03:18So if a relationship has changed or ended and you want to make sure that only you are using
03:23your products, make sure you've updated your security passwords.
03:26Make sure you've got a sense of who is connected through your online and tech-based mechanisms
03:31as well as in your in-person environment.
03:33And then there are services and supports that are available.
03:36So again, whether it's a smart car and you want to go through a service and make sure
03:40that they're also checking that technology.
03:42But we do need to make sure that our service providers have the skill and the understanding
03:47to think about the way control can occur through technology.
03:50And so there's also a training and a much broader information base that is necessary to
03:55make sure that whether it's from a crisis response in the family violence context or police,
04:00you know, much broader range of officials or people involved in service delivery are on
04:05to these risks and know what to do about them.
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