Digital Abuse: Safety with Technology

Maddi Pearl
Court Advocate

Everyone has the right to feel safe in a relationship, but unfortunately that is not always the case. For those who are currently in an abusive relationship or who have recently left one, there are certain tactics that their abuser may be using in order to try to gain power and control over them or to continue to hold on to that control after their partner has left them. One tactic that has become more and more present is the use of technology to stalk and/or attempt to hold on to that control. There are some ways someone can try to reduce the chances of this happening.

Some ways we have seen abusers use technology is by figuring out their partners passwords to important accounts such as their social media, emails, banks accounts, etc. To reduce the likelihood that someone can get into these accounts someone could change passwords frequently and possibly use acronyms or verbal passwords instead of using common passwords such as a childhood dog’s name. An example would be if someone’s favorite song was Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, they may use the acronym “LITSWD” as their password. It is important to have conversations with phone companies and banks to make sure there is no one else allowed access to their information and accounts.

If someone feels like their personal device is being monitored, they can take it into their local Geek Squad or Best Buy to have a diagnostic test run on it and possibly a reset done to it. It can also be useful for someone to make sure their GPS and location services are always off and only turned back on when necessary. Also, someone can keep a log of any suspicious activity going in case criminal charges needed to be brought forward. For more information on safety with technology, call Court Advocacy at 208-343-3688 ext. 0200.

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