Recent Survey Confirms Pervasive Stalking Behaviors that Survivors and Advocates have Reported for Years

Advocates and survivors have long reported technology misuse among the behaviors that current or former abusive partners have used to monitor, control, harass, or harm. Norton LifeLock, a member of the Coalition Against Stalkerware (of which the National Network to End Domestic Violence is a founding member) recently announced the findings of their 2019 survey regarding intimate partner cyberstalking, which revealed that “46 percent of Americans admit to ‘stalking’ an ex or current partner online by checking in on them without their knowledge or consent.”

Whether you are in a relationship or not, you always have a right to privacy. In a healthy relationship, all partners should feel safe and comfortable setting boundaries and knowing that those boundaries will be respected. Healthy relationships are built on mutual trust—not monitoring or checking up on a partner. Surveilling or stalking a partner’s devices or communications is an example of one way that an abusive person may try to gain power and control over a current or former partner.

According to the survey results, the most common form of online stalking included checking their ex or current partner’s phone (29 percent) and reviewing search histories (21 percent). “Nearly one in ten people surveyed reported creating a fake profile to check on someone via social media” and 10 percent reported that they used an app to monitor their ex or current partner’s texts, phone calls, direct messages, emails, and photos, with men being 2.5 times more likely than women to do so. These behaviors don’t show trust or respect, and they can create a serious imbalance of power in a relationship.

In looking at perceptions of these behaviors, Norton LifeLock identified generational differences regarding how people felt about the impact of these behaviors. Perhaps surprisingly, “nearly half of Americans ages 18-34 (45 percent) find online stalking behaviors to be harmless (compared to 27 percent of 45-55 year olds, 19 percent of 55-64 year-olds and 13 percent of those 65 and older.” Younger Americans appear to be more forgiving of these abusive behaviors—the media’s portrayal of stalking behaviors has played a role in the normalization of these behaviors—which is concerning for the future of privacy and safety for survivors.  Regardless of perception, these behaviors can be dangerous for victims of domestic and sexual violence. Stalking behaviors, whether online or in-person, can cause survivors stress and trauma and are often being perpetrated along with other types of violence.

Stalking, including cyberstalking, is never okay. If you believe you are being stalked, there are resources that can help. Remember: you are not at fault for what you are experiencing. Here are some tips and strategies if you are being stalked or experiencing technology-facilitated abuse:

1.   Document the behavior: Keep a log of what you are experiencing. Try and identify the who, what when, where, and any technology misused in your log. This will be helpful if you decide you want to seek legal assistance. Learn more about documenting abuse.

2.   Reach out for assistance: If safe to do so, reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, a local domestic violence or sexual assault program, or a local law enforcement agency. An advocate can help you safety plan, find local resources, and provide you with support.

3.   Learn about legal remedies: Visit WomensLaw.org to learn about the laws in your state related to stalking and domestic violence and to find helpful legal information and resources.

4.   Be aware of your device usage: If you think that someone is monitoring you or your devices, be careful about what you search and the information you share. Here are some strategies around spyware/stalkerware and understanding stalking.

Do you have other concerns about privacy and safety when using your device? Check out our Survivor Technology Safety & Privacy Toolkit to learn more. 

New Work, Same Passion

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Safety Net Logo

The Safety Net team at the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) finished 2019 with a renewed sense of passion and purpose. We worked diligently to create informational resources, provide in-depth technical assistance to the field, and stay abreast of new topics and trends. We could not have done this work without you. We are grateful for the expertise and wisdom each of the coalitions, local programs, grant partners, survivors, and service providers bring each day.

Here are a few highlights from 2019:

The 7th Annual Technology Summit: This conference saw us hop in our DeLorean back to the 1980s. With technology ever-changing, this year’s summit kicked off with a focus on the importance of recognizing that even as new technologies impact our work, the behaviors used by perpetrators to abuse, harass, and harm are all still the same. Day one was spent working through strategies for safety planning, identifying what technology misuse looks like today, while also remembering that nothing can take away from good advocacy. The rest of the week was spent learning from experts in the field on new technologies, ways technologies affect communities at the margins, and helping service providers walk in survivors’ digital shoes. With the closing of the 7th annual Technology Summit, it was announced that this year’s technology summit would be held in the nation’s capital, Washington, DC. We are excited to bring Tech Summit home, and can’t wait to announce our expert speakers and conference sessions. Stay tuned to learn more!

Technology Summit 2019 logo

Coalition Against Stalkerware & Updated Materials: We started working with antivirus companies, international NGOs, and other technologists to form the Coalition Against Stalkerware. As one of the founding members of the coalition, we have worked to train technologists, provided expert-level feedback on products, and have provided our unique expertise on the intersections of technology and intimate partner violence. We have updated our materials to reflect changes around the use of stalkerware and are enthusiastic to be working with our partners on this much-needed project. Learn more about this work and check out our new materials.

Coalition Against Stalkerware

By the Numbers: We have been busy, busy, busy working on creating timely and relevant new content; providing technical assistance to the field, technology companies, and survivors; and traveling the world providing trainings on technology misuse, online dating and gaming, elders and technology, teens and tech, providing digital services, and more. Here’s a quick look at our Year In Review.

Year in Review Snapshot

Looking Ahead: We are excited to see what 2020 has to offer. We are working to build better partnerships, create more materials, provide technical assistance and training, and continue to work to increase the capacity of service providers. We are excited to launch our evidence collection app, DocuSAFE, in March 2020 and look forward to hearing feedback from the field.

We will begin testing new apps and products, providing support to other teams here at NNEDV at our unique intersection, and enhancing our own learning around technology misuse. We are looking forward to continuing this journey with each of you as we wrap up old projects and dive into new work, with the same passion for ending violence and all that 2020 has to offer.

NNEDV Commends Uber on its U.S. Safety Report, Urges More U.S. Companies to Follow Suit

Today, NNEDV joined Uber announcing its December 5 release of their U.S. Safety Report. The Report — the first of its kind — includes data about sexual assaults related to Uber rides in 2017 and 2018. Sexual assault is vastly underreported, and this is a groundbreaking step in raising awareness and encouraging survivors to share their stories. The Report also includes information about steps Uber has taken to support survivors and prevent violence before it ever occurs.

“Uber has been a longtime partner in standing against sexual assault – not just through accountability and transparency, but also by supporting survivors, eliminating barriers to reporting, and taking steps to prevent violence and harassment,” said Cindy Southworth, NNEDV Interim Chief Executive Officer and member of Uber’s Safety Advisory Board. “We call on other companies to follow Uber’s lead by partnering with anti-violence organizations to release similar.”

Sexual violence is a pervasive crime that occurs everywhere from the home to public spaces and during our movement in between, including in cars, buses, planes, trains and wherever we walk. Rideshares are no exception, and Uber’s Safety Report, for the first time, documents the experiences of both riders and drivers.  

NNEDV urges all companies, whether they be engaged in transportation or other sectors of the economy, to both collect and share similar data on the prevalence of domestic and sexual violence and work with the community to take steps to prevent it and raise awareness. 

The movement to address and end sexual and domestic violence will only succeed through a multi-level approach. This includes industry leaders like Uber partnering with organizations like NNEDV to make significant strides in changing in cultural norms.

Since 2014, NNEDV has worked with Uber on their efforts to improve their response to sexual assault and domestic violence, including its Driving Change initiative and its Safety Advisory. In 2015, NNEDV teamed up with Uber to offer safety and privacy tips for riders on the Uber app. Many survivors of domestic violence use Uber, both as drivers and as riders, and NNEDV deeply appreciates Uber’s commitment to openly addressing sexual assault and to creating innovative ways to improve safety.

More information is available at https://www.uber.com/us/en/safety/womens-safety/.