1. Facilitation and escalation
  • Online dating apps, social media, and geolocation services can make it easier for perpetrators to find, stalk, groom, or coordinate attacks (Reyns, 2018).
  • Technology-assisted abuse (surveillance apps, hidden cameras, spyware) amplifies control and intimidation in intimate-partner violence (Brignall et al., 2020).
  1. New forms of harm
  • Image-based sexual abuse (revenge porn), deepfake pornography, and non-consensual sexual content create psychological harm, public shaming, and coercive leverage (Bates, 2017; Chesney & Citron, 2019).
  1. Reporting, evidence, and deterrence
  • Smartphones and CCTV increase opportunities to document assaults and create admissible evidence, aiding prosecution and deterrence. Bodycams, emergency apps, and panic buttons can reduce response times.
  1. Prevention, education, and support
  • Online education, awareness campaigns, and bystander-intervention apps can change norms and empower potential victims and communities. AI-driven risk assessment can identify high-risk situations for early intervention.
  1. Enforcement and privacy trade-offs
  • Better surveillance and data analytics can help law enforcement identify perpetrators but risk privacy violations and potential misuse; marginalized groups may be disproportionately surveilled.
  1. Accessibility and inequality
  • Benefits (reporting tools, support networks) are unevenly distributed; lack of access, digital literacy, or mistrust of institutions can limit protective effects for some women.

Net effect: Technology can both increase the scale and stealth of assaults and provide stronger tools for prevention, evidence, and support. Policy, design that centers safety, legal remedies, and digital literacy are needed to maximize protective effects and minimize harms.

References (select):

  • Bates, S. (2017). Image-based sexual abuse. Feminist Legal Studies.
  • Chesney, R., & Citron, D. (2019). Deepfakes and the new disinformation war. Foreign Affairs.
  • Brignall, C., et al. (2020). Technology-facilitated domestic abuse. Journal of Interpersonal Violence.
  • Reyns, B. W. (2018). Technology and interpersonal victimization. Criminal Justice and Behavior.

Negative points

  • Increased surveillance and stalking: Smartphones, GPS, social media, and spyware make it easier for perpetrators to track, harass, and control women (digital stalking, doxxing). [See: Citron & Franks, “Criminalizing Revenge Porn,” 2014]
  • Facilitation of predation: Dating apps and location features can be exploited to identify and target vulnerable individuals.
  • Normalization and amplification of abuse: Online communities can spread misogynistic content, encourage violent fantasies, and normalize coercive behavior.
  • New forms of sexual violence: Deepfakes and non-consensual image-sharing create digital sexual harms that can lead to real-world trauma and threats.
  • Evidence challenges and inequities: Victims may lack digital literacy or access to preserve evidence; legal systems struggle to keep pace with tech-enabled abuse.

Positive points

  • Improved reporting and evidence collection: Photos, messages, location logs, and CCTV can document assaults and help prosecutions when preserved properly.
  • Safety tools and alerts: Safety apps, panic buttons, GPS sharing, and emergency services integration can reduce risk and enable faster help.
  • Awareness and support networks: Social media, online shelters, and helplines increase visibility of abuse, reduce stigma, and connect survivors to resources.
  • Prevention through design and moderation: Platforms can use AI moderation, stricter verification, and better privacy defaults to reduce harassment and remove harmful content.
  • Data-driven policy and intervention: Aggregated data can reveal patterns, guiding prevention programs, policing, and legislative responses.

Concise conclusion Technology is neither inherently harmful nor wholly protective: it amplifies existing social dynamics. Effective mitigation requires combining technological design, legal reform, education, and survivor-centered services to minimize risks and maximize safety. (See reports by WHO, UN Women, and academic research on digital gender-based violence.)

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