Smart-home technology becomes the newest tool of domestic abusers

stapp · Jun 24, 2018

The people who called in to the help hotlines and domestic-violence shelters said they felt as if they were going crazy.

One woman had turned on her air conditioner, but said it then switched off without her touching it. Another said the code numbers of the digital lock at her front door changed every day and she could not figure out why. Another told an abuse help line she kept hearing the doorbell ring, but no one was there.
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https://www.seattletimes.com/nation...ybecomes-the-newest-tool-of-domestic-abusers/

mirimir · Jun 24, 2018

Her plan with the smart thermostat, she said, was to “pull it out of the wall.”
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Makes sense to me

When a victim uninstalls the devices, this can escalate a conflict, experts said. “The abuser can see it’s disabled, and that may trigger enhanced violence,” said Jennifer Becker, a lawyer at Legal Momentum, a women’s rights legal advocacy group.
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Makes no sense to me. Attempting to placate attackers is always a losing proposition.

guest · Jul 2, 2018

For victims of smart home abuse, there's no easy out
It's not as simple as changing passwords.
July 2, 2018
https://www.engadget.com/2018/07/02/smart-home-abuse-no-easy-out/

[...] Everyone should know how many smart home products are in their house. If possible, they should get a unique credential and password for each household member so not one person is controlling the device.

Ruth Patrick, a CEO of WomenSV, a Silicon Valley domestic violence program. [...] advises abuse victims go as low-tech as possible. "If they have a sensitive appointment like interviewing attorneys or meeting a counselor, park several blocks away and put all the electronics in the trunk," she said.

Even when tech companies run threat analysis assessments on their products, they often run tests against hackers or threat actors, not abusive exes.

Engadget has reached out to Google, Amazon and various smart home manufacturers about any efforts to curb abuse and have not heard back at the time of publication. The only company to get back to us was Simplisafe, which specializes in home security. It said that in a situation where an abusive ex is misusing the technology, the remaining home owner could call in with a predetermined safe word in order to cancel service or reset PINs and passwords.
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mirimir · Jul 3, 2018

I really don't get why victims can just remove whatever's being exploited. Or pay someone to remove it. Unless, I suppose, it can be reliably secured. Placating attackers seems like a poor strategy.

guest · Jul 6, 2018

Researchers put together a resource list for victims of smart home-aided domestic abuse
The creators say it will be regularly updated
July 6, 2018
https://www.theverge.com/2018/7/6/17542728/domestic-abuse-victims-smart-home-resource-list

A London-based research team has just published a six-page list of resources for domestic abuse victims who’ve been targeted through smart home gadgets that are controlled by their partners. In some cases, a domestic abuser can remotely control internet-connected home appliances using their phone, such as a smart thermostat, causing these devices to seemingly malfunction or become disabled with no probable cause.

The six-page document includes a number of blogs, written works, and organizations to contact that are intended to both inform victims of current research and it give pointers on how to deal with technology that might be used to abuse or harass them. The resource list also seeks to tackle any discrepancies in smart home knowledge between victims and their abusers, by providing information needed to not only understand how these smart homes work, but also how to make one’s home life less vulnerable to digital threats.

The document comes on the tails of last month’s New York Times report detailing real-world examples of domestic abusers who’ve weaponized smart home technology — like internet-connected lights, locks, and doorbells — to psychologically harass their partners.
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Reality · Jul 6, 2018

NO surprise. How people can't see where this "smart" thing is going is staggering. Smart homes are not smart. Anything with "smart" in front of it should be viewed with the utmost of suspicion. Imagine how much time is wasted trying to keep up with these silly bells and whistles.

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