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Abstract

Domestic abuse and its related harms have become a growing conversation in the UK. It can affect anyone regardless of background or upbringing, with 2.4 adults experiencing domestic abuse in the year ending March 2022. Growing capabilities within technology threatens to cause further harm to victims, allowing abusers to be omnipresent and remotely coerce, monitor, harass, and stalk their intended victim. Tools such as GPS location tracking, social media, and the Internet of Things (IoT) make abuse tactics more complex. Hence, this rapid review was conducted to explore the literature surrounding technology-facilitated domestic abuse (TFDA) and digital coercive control (DCC). All papers exploring TFDA and DCC were scanned, and twenty-two papers were included in the review. Overall, findings showed that TFDA is common within abuse and reported frequently. However, domestic abuse professionals found that they were under-prepared when providing advice to victims on how best to safeguard themselves and their children. Victims often make the salient choice to stay connected or disconnect from technology altogether. However, this does not always guarantee safety and, in some cases, can escalate abuse. Researchers argue that technologists should design products with domestic abuse safety features available. A further solution to the problem is implementing robust digital forensics techniques within Policing to interrogate abusers’ devices and locate evidence of abuse, which can be used in court. However, digital forensics demands precise tools, training, and accreditation, which require spending not always available within Policing budgets.

Course: Cyber security and digital forensics - MSc - P3193PTD

Date Deposited: 2024-05-15

URI/permalink: https://library.port.ac.uk/dissert/dis14418.html