Positive impacts

• Reporting and evidence: Smartphones, apps, and wearable devices make it easier to record assaults, collect timestamps, GPS data, photos/videos, and immediate digital reports to authorities or support services. (See Clayton et al., 2018 on digital evidence.)
• Prevention and deterrence: Safety apps, real‑time location sharing, panic buttons, and smart home security (cameras, motion sensors) can deter attacks and enable fast intervention.
• Support and resources: Online hotlines, teletherapy, peer support groups, and legal information increase access to help, especially where in‑person services are limited.
• Data for policy: Big‑data analysis of incident reports and social media can reveal patterns, helping target prevention, policing, and public‑health interventions. (WHO research on data‑driven prevention.)
• Education and behavior change: Social media campaigns, online courses, and VR empathy training can shift norms and teach consent and bystander intervention.

Negative impacts

• Facilitation and escalation: Perpetrators can use technology to stalk (GPS tracking, spyware), harass (doxxing, revenge porn), create fake profiles, or coordinate abuse, increasing reach and persistence. (Research on cyberstalking; e.g., Tjaden & Thoennes.)
• Evidence deletion and manipulation: Encrypted messaging, remote wiping, deepfakes, and platform policies can obscure or destroy evidence.
• Unequal access and surveillance harms: Marginalized women may lack access to safety tech; increased surveillance tools can be misused by abusers or state actors, harming privacy and autonomy.
• Normalization and desensitization: Pornography, online communities, and algorithmic echo chambers can normalize violence or misogyny, reinforcing harmful behaviors.

Net effect depends on governance and design

• Tech can reduce assaults if designed for privacy, accessibility, survivor control, and paired with legal protections, policing reform, education, and social supports.
• Without safeguards (anti‑stalking features, clear reporting channels, accountability for platforms), technology may amplify harms.

Relevant sources

• WHO, Violence against women reports; research on cyberstalking and digital evidence; academic work on tech‑enabled abuse (e.g., Henry & Powell, 2018).