DV refers to violence within a home, including child abuse, elder abuse, and IPV; IPV is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and controlling behaviours by an intimate partner" (2012, p. 1; see also Stark, 2007). Given that IPV falls under the umbrella of domestic violence, we use both terms throughout this Commentary. 2 The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (2020) uses the term "'survivor' to refer to someone who has gone through the recovery process" (para. 3). We use the term victim to refer to a woman who is being or has recently been victimized by a current or former partner (perpetrator).
The reality of domestic violence does not disappear when people enter the digital world, as abusers may use technology to stalk, exploit, and control their victims. In this chapter, we discuss three unique types of technological abuse: (1) financial abuse via banking websites and apps; (2) abuse via smart home devices (i.e., "Internet of Things" abuse); and (3) stalking via geolocation or GPS. We also argue pregnancy and wellness apps provide an opportunity for meaningful intervention for pregnant victims of domestic violence.While there is no way to ensure users' safety in all situations, we argue thoughtful considerations while designing and building digital products can result in meaningful contributions to victims' safety. This chapter concludes with PenzeyMoog's (2020) "Framework for Inclusive Safety," which is a roadmap for building technology that increases the safety of domestic violence survivors. This framework includes three key points: (1) the importance of educating technologists about domestic violence; (2) the importance of identifying possible abuse situations and designing against them; and (3) identifying user interactions that might signal abuse and offering safe interventions.
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