WHEN we think about gender-based violence, particularly domestic and intimate partner violence, we are usually confronted with the abuses that manifest physically, economically and emotionally. The world is changing around us, however, and the technology is growing at a faster rate than we can fathom. With it comes the increased risk of surveillance. It is unfortunate that the devices used to make our lives easier can also be weaponised against vulnerable people.

In a recent report, the UK Guardian related the story of a young mother who had separated from her partner and later discovered he was using the Apple AirTag to track her movements. Apple, the company that manufactured the iPhone, developed the product as a tracking device, but the invention is now coming under criticism for how it is used considering how inconspicuous it is.

“AirTag is a supereasy way to keep track of your stuff. Attach one to your keys. Put another in your backpack. And just like that, they’re on your radar in the Find My app, where you can also track down your Apple devices and keep up with friends and family,” Apple Inc. said about the product on its official website.

The Guardian report said: “Laura (not her real name) was in her car when a notification showed up on her phone, alerting her that an Apple AirTag had been detected nearby. ‘I didn’t know what it was or what it meant. I felt quite panicky,’ she says. ‘I pulled over and still didn’t know what I was looking at. My phone was showing a map of where I was with a trail of red dots indicating the route I’d just followed. I think I was in shock. I drove straight to a friend’s house and we searched the car.’”

The Guardian called the device “a gift to stalkers”. “Both Refuge and the Suzy Lamplugh Trust — civil society organisations in the UK which provide support to victims of stalkers — have been contacted by women like Laura, who have received AirTag notifications on their phones. Some went on to find the devices planted in children’s backpacks by ex-partners. Others had been slipped into the women’s pockets or handbags. In one case, the AirTag couldn’t be located at all. The Refuge team talked the caller through how to disable it, but she still doesn’t know where it is hidden,” the report said.

Recounting the horrifying experience of being surveilled by her ex-boyfriend, the survivor, nicknamed Laura, said: “I’m a dinosaur; he loved fancy new gadgets, and when we were together, he bought the technology… I was actually in the car on the way to getting it fixed when I got the AirTag alert.

“He also put some kind of tag on my keys – he said it was so we wouldn’t lose them – but it meant he knew where I was at all times. He had security cameras on the house, which he viewed on his phone. One night after we had separated, I got in at 11.30 at night, and as I was walking upstairs, loud music started blaring out of the boombox. He had watched me come in on his phone and activated the sound system remotely. I was running around the house unplugging everything. By then I didn’t want to stay at home any more. I felt like I was going crazy.”

There is one aspect of the report, however, which offers a pointed critique of the discussions that happen inside the room of software development by highlighting some of the non-technological risks that should be part of product design, but rarely are. “The approach is: ‘Launch it, get it into the world, get it to market, monetise it and we can solve problems later…

“That doesn’t happen in any other industry. You don’t launch a car and fix the seatbelts months down the line – and that’s because there are strict laws and regulations, safety standards and testing. That just doesn’t exist in tech – and it’s a real gap.

“All these features need to be designed into the product pre-release… I’ve sat in rooms with social media companies and software developers and their security concerns are always around hackers and encryption. They focus on protecting company servers and databases or protecting consumers from cyber-viruses. But what about when the threat is from someone inside the house? There’s a total lack of understanding when it comes to domestic abuse and stalking, and how individuals become victims,” says Rory Innes, founder of the Cyber Helpline in the UK.

While the pressure of being hypervigilant is already felt by some women, including those who are survivors of some form of GBV, there is a greater need for software development companies to recognise the potential consequences of products and consider consumer safety alongside profits. As a precaution, since Apple AirTags were only detectable by Apple iPhones, the company has released the “Tracker Detect” app which allows non-iPhone users to track AirTags that are in close proximity to them for prolonged periods. This offers temporary relief, but only if consumers are savvy to know to download the app and watch for notifications.
Reports of Gender Based Violence can be made to the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security’s hotline #914. The number is toll-free and operational around the clock.